Fresh Zucchini stuffed with a hearty meat sauce, topped with cheese and baked to perfection making this a delicious low-carb and gluten-free dinner!
These zucchini boats are for my low-carb lovers and just about anyone else! We all have those nights when we crave a large slice of pizza or lasagna but can’t bear the thought of all the carbs at night. With these zucchini boats, you get all the deliciousness without the carbs because the zucchini crust is used as the base.
The zucchini boats are then stuffed with ground beef sauce and topped with cheese and baked until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is cooked through. They store very well in the fridge or freezer and make a great take to work lunch too.
I used cheddar cheese because that was all I had on hand, but Mozzarella or Monterey Jack work as well. Top with diced tomatoes, avocado, and/or cilantro. If you’re a foodie, go ahead and add a drizzle of lime too!
Watch Video Below!
Ingredients
- 6-8 medium zucchini, or 12 small
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Slice zucchini in half, and carve them out with a spoon. Chop the zucchini 'meat' and set it aside. Line zucchini boats on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased with oil.
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook onion for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to golden. Ad the garlic and cook for a few seconds. Add meat and cook until it's no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, zucchini pulp, italian seasoning and salt + pepper. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Spoon mixture into zucchini boats and top each with a drizzle of cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheesy is fully melted and bubbly.
I have made this recipe several times and it is a favorite.We have a friend coming from South Carolina next month and I am making it for him. I know he will enjoy it and I am sending the recipe to all our kids. They are good cooks and I think they will like this.
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Can I use cucumber instead?
You should use zucchini, not cucumber.
Do You eat the boat, or just the topping inside
You eat the boat.
Can these be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing them but if you do, freezing in a foil baking dish and re-heating in the oven is the way to go!
Excellent dish! I grated carrots & cauliflower into the meat mixture while simmering, as well as a T of Asiago cheese
This turned out very well! Everyone liked it!
Wondering about making this a vegetarian meal with plant based meat instead of the ground beef. What do you think?
Yes, it works great with plant-based meat as well!
I made this with a lb. Each of ground beef and turkey. My homemade marinara sauce, added cooked rice, onions, peppers,diced fresh tomatoes and chopped spinach. Oh and cheese. Awesome. I also made some stuffed peppers as I had 10 beautiful huge peppers. Made one for the guy who works down at the gas station/deli and he said I should make and sell at his deli. Nice compliment 😃.
Delicious!!! Will make again!! 🙂
Several people have asked what is a serving suze. I haven’t seen an answer.
The recipe says it makes 6 servings.
Simply, your serving would be one whole zucchini. So, if you started with 6 zucchini and cut them all in half and filled them, you would eat two halves, or one whole zucchini. Per the recipe, if you started with 8 zucchini and cut them all in half and filled them, you would eat two halves, or one whole zucchini.