• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Life Jolie logo
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work with me!
    • Video Production
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work with me!
    • Video Production
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    The Life Jolie » Main/Entree » Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

    Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

    Published: Sep 23, 2019 · Modified: Aug 31, 2022 by Jessy Freimann · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are the healthy weeknight meal you'll want to make again and again. This is a seriously easy recipe that's full of delicious flavor without all the guilt!

    Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are the healthy weeknight meal you'll want to make again and again. This is a seriously easy recipe that's full of delicious flavor without all the guilt!

    Zucchini boats lined up on a pan.

    Zucchini Boats

    This post contains Affiliate Links. Please see the disclaimer here.

    Try some of my other tasty zucchini recipes:

    • Zucchini Pancakes
    • Zucchini Soup
    • Sautéed Vegetables
    • Grilled Salmon with Summer Veggies

    I'll be honest, zucchini isn't usually my go-to veggie. It's tasty enough, but squash and I have a spotty relationship. That being said, I think one of the best ways to enjoy zucchini is by making stuffed zucchini boats.

    I decided to go with an Italian theme for these (what can I say, we cook what we know!). This is a variation of my Stuffed Peppers Casserole and it is so good! It comes together pretty quickly and easily but I went with more nutritious ingredients to eliminate the guilt.

    A straight-on close up shot of the inside of stuffed zucchini boats.

    Tips for making Baked Zucchini

    • The easiest way to remove the zucchini seeds is to use a spoon to gently scrape them out.
    • I bake these with the cut side up. Give them a quick spray with olive oil cooking spray and a sprinkle of salt and pepper for even more flavor before they go into the oven the first time.
    • To measure the water, just fill the empty small sauce can half way. This helps get any leftover sauce out of the can and gives you the right amount of water.
    • This is a great way to use leftover rice, but you can always buy one of the microwavable containers of rice, just be sure it's plain.
    • Be sure to taste the filling before stuffing the zucchini and adjust the seasonings to your taste.

    An overhead image of stuffed zucchini on a pan.

    How do I prepare zucchini for stuffed zucchini?

    The first thing I do is wash the zucchini. Then I cut each zucchini in half length-wise. Using a spoon, I scoop out the seeds from the middle to hollow them out (bring careful not to go all the way through). Then I place them cut-side up on a lines sheet pan. I spray with olive oil cooking spray and season lightly with salt and pepper and preface them so begin the cooking process while I prepare the filling.

    Do I have to precook the zucchini?

    I would recommend it so that the zucchini isn't overly crispy and undercooked.

    Can I use a different meat?

    Absolutely. If turkey isn't a thing, ground chicken or ground beef works just as well. You could even use Italian sausage, just remove it from the casings if it isn't already.

    Can I use white rice?

    Absolutely, just make sure it comes in cooked.

    Do you eat the skin on zucchini boats?

    Yes! You do not have to peel them.

    Can I freeze zucchini boats?

    I don't recommend freezing the actual zucchini as it will thaw to be soggy. But you can always make the filling and freeze that and then thaw when you're ready to make them.

    A forkful of baked zucchini

    Ingredients for making Stuffed Zucchini

    • Zucchini
    • Olive oil
    • Onion
    • Red pepper
    • Garlic
    • Ground turkey
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Italian seasoning
    • Romano cheese
    • Tomato sauce
    • Tomato
    • Cooked rice
    • Mozzarella cheese

    A close up image of zucchini boats on a pan

    Helpful tools:

    1. Sheet pan
    2. Chef’s knife
    3. Cutting board
    4. Large saute pan
    5. Wooden spoon
    6. Measuring cups
    7. Measuring spoons

    Stuffed Zucchini on a plate with a fork.

    Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are the healthy weeknight meal you'll want to make again and again. This is a seriously easy recipe that's full of delicious flavor without all the guilt!

    Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

    Jessy Freimann
    Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are the healthy weeknight meal you'll want to make again and again. This is a seriously easy recipe that's full of delicious flavor without all the guilt!
    4.95 from 20 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Main, Main Course, Main dish
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 8 zucchini boats

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 medium zucchini, cleaned, halved length-wise and seeds scooped out.
    • Cooking spray
    • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt + additional for precooking the zucchini
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper + additional for precooking the zucchini
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, finely diced
    • 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
    • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 pound ground turkey
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 3 Tablespoons Romano cheese
    • 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
    • 4 ounces water (½ of the empty tomato sauce can)
    • 1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced
    • 1 cup cooked rice
    • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone liner.
    • Place zucchini halves cut-side up, onto the pan. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and set aside.
    • While the zucchini bakes, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
    • Add onion and peppers to the pan and saute for around 4 minutes to soften.
    • Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more.
    • Add ground turkey and brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon around 3-5 minutes.
    • Reduce heat to medium and season with ½ teaspoon salt, 1/ teaspoon pepper, Italian seasoning, Romano cheese, sauce, water and diced tomato. Saute for 5-7 minutes.
    • Add cooked rice and stir to combine, remove from heat.
    • Divide mixture between each zucchini boat and sprinkle each with mozzarella cheese.
    • Bake uncovered for 15 more minutes and serve immediately.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions! And if you make this please tag me on Instagram with @thelifejolie so I can share it <3

    You can find a full index of my recipes here.

    Don’t forget to follow The Life Jolie on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration!

    Or if Pinterest isn’t your style, bookmark this post!

    Let’s keep the conversation going- join my Facebook group! 

    « Almond Croissant French Toast Bake
    French Onion Cheese Ball »
    50952 shares
    • Share
    • Flipboard
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rosemary says

      March 29, 2020 at 7:07 am

      Love this recipe. It was so delicious, I wanted to keep eating it.
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        March 29, 2020 at 3:45 pm

        Thanks Rosemary- so glad you love them!
        Reply
    2. Terri says

      May 01, 2020 at 8:41 pm

      This was sooo good. I used ground beef because that’s what I had at home. My husband and I loved it. Definitely will be making this one again. 😃
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        May 03, 2020 at 9:50 pm

        I'm so glad you loved it Terri! I bet it was delicious with ground beef!
        Reply
    3. Shelby says

      June 09, 2020 at 5:07 pm

      I’ll be making these soon! What are some good sides that you like to make along side these?
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        June 14, 2020 at 2:05 pm

        Hi Shelby- This would be excellent with a green salad (try my Summer Berry and Burrata Salad for a little extra sweetness) and also my Marinated Vegetable Salad is another good option if you don't want greens. Enjoy!
        Reply
    4. Christie says

      July 31, 2020 at 10:51 pm

      5 stars. The flavor was so delicious! Our family loved it! We used ground beef instead and also Parmesan as we had that on hand. Will definitely make again!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        August 08, 2020 at 1:03 pm

        So glad you liked it!
        Reply
    5. Diane Driscoll says

      August 04, 2020 at 8:48 pm

      Tried this recipe tonight. Used my homemade tomato sauce. My husband loved it. I had a very large zuchini and he ate 1 1/2 pieces. Will definitely make again. I used ground beef. Not fond of ground turkey. Very tasty and the zucchini still had a bit of a crunch. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Definitely a keeper
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        August 08, 2020 at 12:57 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it! I bet it was even more delicious with homemade sauce and ground beef!
        Reply
    6. Valeria Allison says

      August 24, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      I made this and it was delicious. I used loose Italian sausage instead. Turned out great!!!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        October 27, 2020 at 11:07 pm

        Thanks Valerie- so glad you enjoyed it!
        Reply
    7. Sucheta says

      September 02, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      I used crumbled cottage cheese instead of ground turkey to make a vegetarian option. It turned out very good. Very easy to make and you can’t go wrong.
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        October 27, 2020 at 11:04 pm

        Thank you for sharing- it sounds like a really tasty substitution!
        Reply
    8. Tonja LeBoeuf says

      September 13, 2020 at 3:19 pm

      This is amazing!! We used Sweet Italian Sausage and it turned out amazing! Then we didn’t have to add the Italian seasonings to it. We are making a bunch and freezing them because we love this recipe so much! Thank you for sharing
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        October 27, 2020 at 11:02 pm

        That sounds delicious- good call Tonja! So glad you loved it!
        Reply
    9. Diana says

      September 23, 2020 at 8:14 pm

      Wow, so yummy! Clearing out the garden I found one of those surprise zucchinis, the extra large ones and used it for this recipe. Made it pretty close to the recipe but didn't need extra water. Have been looking for a really good idea to use the big veggies and this is it for sure. Definitely be making it again, thanks so much!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        October 27, 2020 at 10:59 pm

        Woohoo- jackpot find into a great dinner- so glad you loved it!
        Reply
    10. Destiny Coleman says

      September 24, 2020 at 8:44 pm

      Delicious delicious delicious this is so good I can barely type this omg
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        October 27, 2020 at 10:58 pm

        Awwwww this totally made my day, Destiny- thanks for sharing and I'm so glad you loved it!
        Reply
    11. Sharon Welshimer says

      January 13, 2021 at 7:23 pm

      Delicious! I used Turkey Italian sausage and fresh grated Parmesan as substitutions. My zucchini must have been smaller, I ended up freezing enough for a second batch of the stuffing for another meal. Either that or it may have been a slightly larger than 1 lb. (18.5 oz.) Turkey Italian sausage package combined with using a half large onion and a half large red pepper -what I had on hand. I used 3 cloves of minced garlic since I had larger stuffing going. Worked out well. Next time I just need to prepare the zucchini and stuff them for a quick meal night.
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        January 14, 2021 at 2:42 pm

        Sounds fantastic- so glad you loved it!
        Reply
    12. Katie says

      January 26, 2021 at 3:23 pm

      This was SOO good!!! I couldn’t stop eating the filling! I put the zucchini remnants from carving out the boats for extra veggies. This was really unexpectedly crazy delicious, thank you!!!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        January 26, 2021 at 4:20 pm

        Yay! So glad you loved it! Yes, the filling is dangerously addictive!
        Reply
    13. Joan says

      March 22, 2021 at 7:47 pm

      If you can get a 12 year old to eat it , it’s gotta be good ... Just made a couple changes from what was on hand . Hot Italian sausage,no pepper we are not fans, homemade sauce and brown rice.. Was so good , a side salad what else do you need ??perfect and delicious a definite keeper .. Thanks
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        March 28, 2021 at 8:12 pm

        Wow- what a compliment- thank you Joan! So glad you loved it- sounds like you made some delicious changes <3
        Reply
    14. Colleen Riordan says

      March 30, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      Picky-husband ate a second helping of this one, and 13-year old commented that he really liked the ground turkey! I was glad this made so much so that I can have leftovers for lunch. For the ingredients in this recipe that can be prepped ahead of time, I would also recommend added the rice to the pre-prepped items (unless of course, one were to purchase already cooked rice, which works great too). I cooked my rice as I was cooking everything else, which worked out fine, but it would have been one less thing to juggle by grabbing the pre-cooked rice out of the fridge and tossing it in. Great recipe!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        April 05, 2021 at 1:34 pm

        Thanks so much Colleen! I'm so glad you loved it <3 I'll go add that to the prep ingredients- thanks so much for the idea! :)
        Reply
    15. Scot says

      May 16, 2021 at 8:59 pm

      So, there were not any "seeds" in the zucchinis... but I guess I still need to scoop out some "zucchini" in order to make a "boat" to put the turkey mixture in. Not sure what to do with the zucchini that I scoop out, maybe cook it up with the turkey?
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        May 23, 2021 at 8:40 pm

        Yes, you'll want to scoop out some of the center to make a boat. You could probably add it to the mixture if you want to, but I typically dispose of it.
        Reply
    16. Kelly says

      May 31, 2021 at 12:06 am

      This was delicious! I used pork mince and used all the internals of the zucchinis plus added some left over grated carrot I had. I also used 3 cups of rice as I wanted to use all my left overs. I had so much left over mixture that I was able to freeze enough for another entire meal!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        June 08, 2021 at 9:08 pm

        Hi Kelly- that sounds like some seriously great additions, good thinking! So glad you loved it!
        Reply
    17. Nadia Robert says

      June 16, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      This recipe was perfect! My whole family enjoyed this dinner! I just substituted Italian sausage and followed everything else as listed in the recipe. Will surely make again and again!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        July 05, 2021 at 7:15 pm

        Yay- so glad you loved it Nadia- I bet it was fantastic with sausage!
        Reply
    18. Frances Remick says

      July 31, 2021 at 2:14 pm

      THIS CAME OUT AWESOME!!! Ty very much for sharing!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        August 16, 2021 at 10:43 am

        Woohoo! So glad you loved it Frances!
        Reply
    19. Barbara Forgione says

      August 04, 2021 at 9:22 pm

      I made this recipe using chicken sausage instead of ground turkey and it was absolutely delicious.It’s my new favorite dish.
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        August 16, 2021 at 10:36 am

        Yum- I bet it was awesome with chicken sausage! So glad you loved it!
        Reply
    20. Sabrina says

      November 10, 2021 at 10:10 pm

      Dear Lamb of GOD this was DELICIOUS!!!!!! I ate 4 boats🤣🤣. I went from liking zucchini to LOVING IT!!! ❤ This is Beyond D e L I c I o u s!!!!!
      Reply
      • Jessy Freimann says

        December 06, 2021 at 11:18 am

        Awwwwww thanks so much Sabrina- you totally made my day <3
        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Jessy in a kitchen holding a white casserole pan and smiling.
    Hi, I'm Jessy!

    Welcome to The Life Jolie! I share simple, delicious recipes and ingredient prep tips to make your weeknight cooking a breeze!

    More about me →

    Fall Recipes

    • A slice of coconut cake on a place with the full cake behind it.
      Easy Coconut Cake Recipe
    • A spoon holding a scoop of potato ham soup.
      Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
    • A bowl of chicken and egg noodles soup with sliced bread and another bowl behind it.
      Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup
    • A square image of the Toll House Cookie Recipe
      Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Say goodbye to dry and tough pork chops: these Smothered Crock Pot Pork Chops are the ultimate fall-apart tender comfort food. With just 4 ingredients, this easy dinner will be your new go-to dump dinner!
      Fall Apart Slow Cooker Pork Chops
    • An overhead image of sliced turkey on a platter surrounded by fresh herbs in the middle of a Thanksgiving table.
      Roasted Spatchcock Glazed Turkey with Bourbon

    Popular Recipes

    • A square image of how to melt chocolate chips in the microwave showing the chocolate once it's melted.
      How to Melt Chocolate Chips in the Kitchen
    • Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are the healthy weeknight meal you'll want to make again and again. This is a seriously easy recipe that's full of delicious flavor without all the guilt!
      Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
    • Shrimp Macaroni Salad
      Very Best Shrimp Macaroni Salad Recipe
    • A square image of a white pot pouring cheese sauce over a bowl of broccoli with a blue towel behind it.
      Cheese Sauce for Broccoli Recipe
    • Do you love the Cheesecake Factory's Thai Lettuce Wraps! Well then why not make them at home? They're easy to make and totally delicious!
      Reader Request: Copycat Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps
    • A square image of Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken Thighs.
      Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken Thighs Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy + Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Video Production

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright 2014-2021 - Jolie Ventures, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.