The Ultimate in Stuffed Zucchini Boats!
Looking for a healthy, low-carb dinner idea that actually tastes good? These Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats are made with lean ground turkey filling along with peppers, onions, beans and corn. Loaded with flavor, these stuffed zucchini are the perfect healthy dinner!
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Healthy Taco Tuesday with these Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
These Stuffed Taco Zucchini Boats are quite possibly the perfect dinner recipe. I do not say this lightly, as I have many dinner recipes here on my site, all of which are pretty awesome. However, these stuffed zucchini have a whole lot going for them. First, they are loaded with flavor!
Made with tons of veggies like corn, bell pepper, red onion and salsa, (oh, and lets not forget the actual zucchini) these zucchini boats are packed with flavor deliciousness! Secondly, these babies are low-carb! You heard that right – there is no rice or “extra filler” in these! I used ground turkey as the protein source, and along with the black beans, provide you with a good amount of protein in each serving.
So let’s get to it! I’m going to show you the simple steps to making these nutritious and super delicious Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats!
Step 1: Hollow out the center of zucchini
At your grocery store or farmers market, grab about 6 medium-sized zucchini. Rinse, and cut off the ends of each zucchini. Slice the zucchini down the center vertically, so you have two long halves.
I discovered that using a melon-baller (is that the right term for this tool?) is the perfect size for hollowing out the center portion of the zucchini halves. Feel free to use a teaspoon if you don’t have a “melon-baller.”
Step 2: Place the zucchini halves into a 9×13″ pan
You’ll notice that I have 6 zucchini halves in my 9×13″ pan. If you’re planning to make all 6 zucchini (12 halves) you will need a second 9×13″ pan. Yes, this recipe, specifically the filling, makes quite a large amount of food. (I’ll talk more about the filling in the next step.) Here are a couple options that you can do to prepare these stuffed zucchini accordingly.
- Prepare all 12 zucchini halves at once. This is great if you need to feed a crowd, OR if you want to serve this for dinner, and then have some healthy lunch options already prepared.
- Prepare half – 6 zucchini halves (3 medium zucchini) in one 9×13″ pan. This is great for a single dinner. You’ll need to freeze or refrigerate the remainder of the filling. I’ve done this several times. It’s nice to have on hand to take out for a quick dinner another night. You can also use this same filling to make my recipe for Healthy Taco Stuffed Peppers!
Step 3: Prepare the Filling
The filling for these zucchini boat is down right incredible! I chose to keep these zucchini on the lean side, using extra lean (99%) ground turkey. Feel free to sub in ground beef or chicken if you prefer. In addition to the turkey, you’ll also include the following:
- red onion
- red pepper
- taco seasoning
- chunky salsa
- sweet kernel corn
- black beans
Like I mentioned above, this makes quite a bit of filling. You’ll need at least 6 medium to large sized zucchini (12 halves) to utilize all of this filling. Prepare accordingly, and see the options I listed above.
Step 4: Fill the zucchini halves
To the hollowed zucchini halves, spoon in as much filling as will fit. The zucchini is sturdy enough to hold up this hearty filling – don’t be stingy.
Step 5: Sprinkle with cheese & bake
I used a pre-packaged Mexican-blend shredded cheese. Feel free to use what you prefer – basically anything that you would serve atop tacos is a great choice. If you’re really watching your fat content, I would recommend a 2% low-fat cheese.
Once the zucchini boats are cheesed up, get these babies into the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
Step 6: Garnish and Enjoy!
Once these gorgeous zucchini come out of the oven, they’re pretty much ready to eat right away. Give them about 5 minutes to cool off slightly. Top with some fresh cilantro or additional red onion if you prefer. These make a very pretty garnish!
Some other topping ideas include:
You would never know these stuffed zucchini are healthy and low-carb!! These are absolutely packed with flavor, and that filling is very hearty. Such a fantastic taco Tuesday dinner idea when you want to be especially mindful of your nutrition.
Wondering what to do with extra zucchini? Here are some other zucchini recipe ideas:
- Zucchini Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Pizza Bites
- Zucchini Sheet Cake
- Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Are you meal prepping these zucchini boats?
Check out my post for the Best Meal Prep Containers – it’s a fantastic resource for all of my favorite meal and dinner prep tools. I’ve also included some of my favorite meal prep recipes.
I paired a couple of these Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats with a fresh salad with tomatoes and an avocado cilantro dressing. I featured this in one of my InstaStories recently. Do you follow me on Instagram? Come find me at @delightfulemade We’ll have so much fun together!
Enjoy this delicious, simple and low-carb dinner idea! ~Erin
If you loved this delicious low-carb dinner idea, check out some of my other healthy dinner ideas:
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Healthy Unstuffed Peppers
- Healthy Easy Taco Casserole
- Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice
- Healthy & Easy Turkey Chili
- Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
- Healthy Chicken Taco Salad
- Lemon Pepper Grilled Chicken
- Sheet Pan Sweet & Sour Shrimp
- Grilled Steak Fajitas
- Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Taco Mac and Cheese
- Beef Quesadilla Tacos
Here’s the recipe for my Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats:
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Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Equipment
- 9 x 13" Baking Dish This Pyrex glass 9 x 13 baking dish is fantastic for everything from casseroles to cakes!
- Large Skillet This large Anolon 12" Skillet is ideal for making one-pan meals!
- Melon Baller Scoop Works perfectly in hallowing out the zucchini!
Ingredients
- 6 zucchini, medium halved and hollowed
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced, about 1 cup
- 1 lb. extra lean 99% ground turkey
- 1 (15 oz. can) black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz. can) sweet corn drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- 3 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray (2) 9×13″ pans with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Rinse and trim the zucchini ends. Slice the zucchini vertically. Using a melon-baller or spoon, hallow out the zucchini. Place the zucchini in the pan, and set aside.
- For the filling: To a large skillet add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and pepper for about 5 minutes, or until the red onions are nearly translucent. Add the ground turkey to the onion and pepper and brown until cooked through.
- Once the turkey is no longer pink, and cooked through, add the beans, corn, salsa, and seasoning. Stir. Continue to heat over medium-high heat until the filling comes to a low simmer. Remove from heat.
- Spoon in the filling to each zucchini. Once all the zucchini are filling, top with a sprinkling of cheese.
- Bake the zucchini at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
You know, I believe that it is impossible to have too many zucchini recipes, and it is always a plus when it is as good as this one. Pinned and scheduled to be Shared. Thank you for sharing at Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make.
Zucchini boats are delicious! We like to make a vegetarian version of this dish using texture soy instead of ground meat.
A perfect summer dish. And with all the zucchini I have at the moment, a very welcome recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us at Fiesta Friday.
This is healthy, looks beautiful and takes care of some of those extra zucchini from the garden. Thank you!
Wow, these look so fun and colorful! This is a great way to switch things up from just serving zucchini as a side dish (which can get pretty monotonous if you’ve got as much zucchini growing in the garden as my family does!). Thanks for sharing with us at Fiesta Friday!
So fun! I am adding this to my list of recipes to try!
Your Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats look amazing! Hope you are having a wonderful week and thanks so much for posting with Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Awesome recipe Erin – congrats – you’re our Friend Of the Week at Friendship Friday 339 at Create With Joy! 🙂
I’m always excited about healthy alternatives Erin and these taco stuffed zucchini boats look so yummy. Thank you for sharing your recipe at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring it at tonight’s party and pinning too.
Hugs,
Kerryanne
Hi Erin! I saw your recipe over at Create with Joy and just had to visit! Your zucchini boats look amazing. I’ve pinned them, and I’d love if you’d share them at the Hearth and Soul Link Party live on my site now if you have time. Have a lovely weekend, and thank you for a brilliant recipe!
I made the cinnamon zucchini bread. The taste was good but the texture was too heavy. The loaf weighed about 3 lbs!!! And how much shredded zucchini is a “medium”? Is it 2 cups, 3 cups or ???? I think it’s important to give the recipe a certain amount of shredded zucchini. “Medium” is just too general. I used a “medium” zucchini and it was too much. The bread didn’t rise properly as there was too much liquid from the squash so the texture was doughy even though the bread on the outside was dark golden brown and crispy.
You had me at one point per boat! These look delicious and I am always on the hunt for more WW recipes. Pinned.
I second mother of 3! Am always looking for ways to use summer zucchini. Thanks for the recipe.
They look so pretty and colorful. Although I don’t eat meat ( vegan) I ‘m sure I could do something similar with maybe tofu! Love the idea.
These look delicious. I saved the recipe to my Low Carb board!
Yum! I just printed and pinned this one!
Have a great week,
Kippi
Thank you for sharing at Best of the Weekend! I’m going to feature you tomorrow. This is a great way to use up zucchini from the garden!
Liberty @ B4andAfters.com