These Zucchini Boats stuffed with beef taco filling make the perfect quick fix dinner! The flavorful beef taco mixture could not be more simple to put together and the leftovers are perfect for burritos, tacos and more!
Zucchini Boat Recipe
If you haven’t tried a zucchini boat recipe before, I’ve got the perfect quick fix dinner recipe for you! These zucchini boats are stuffed with a simple and delicious beef taco filling. They’re also gluten free and low carb! You’re going to love them!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They’re a healthy option for lunch or dinner!
- While they are healthy, the flavor is delicious!
- The taco filling can be used in tacos, burritos, rice and more!
Be sure to try my Zucchini Pizza Skillet too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration!
What You’ll Need
Let’s talk about what ingredients you’ll need to make stuffed zucchini boats. See bottom of post’s recipe card for full instructions.
- zucchini– Inspect each zucchini make sure it’s firm and good quality. I used 3 for this recipe, cutting each in half for 6 servings.
- extra virgin olive oil– The olive is used to saute the garlic before adding the ground beef to the pan.
- minced garlic– You can use fresh garlic and mince yourself or use the jarred minced garlic you can find often times in the produce section of the grocery store.
- ground beef– Use a lean ground beef, 85% lean or higher works great.
- salt– I use kosher salt which is coarse salt.
- pepper– For best results use freshly ground black pepper.
- garlic salt– I prefer the Lawry’s brand of garlic salt for my cooking.
- ground cumin– Ground cumin adds a nice Mexican flavor to the ground beef.
- hot sauce– A couple shakes of your favorite hot sauce add a nice layer of flavor to the taco beef. I used Cholula for the recipe.
- salsa verde– Use your favorite prepared salsa verde. I enjoy the Trader Joe’s salsa verde. Herdez has a good one as well.
- corn– Make sure to drain corn before adding to beef mixture.
- pinto beans– Wash and drain beans before adding to beef mixture.
- shredded cheese– Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese works great.
How To Make Zucchini Boats
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Take each gently washed and dried zucchini, cut the ends off of both sides and cut in half length wise.
- Spoon out the top middle of the zucchini scraping with a small spoon until a nice well or little bowl is created. This will hold the beef taco filling. Place zucchini boats onto parchment lined baking sheet.
- Pour olive oil in large pan over medium heat. When hot add minced garlic, stirring and cooking for one minute. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic salt, cumin and hot sauce. Cook and stir until beef is browned.
- Add salsa verde, corn and beans to the cooked ground beef. Stir to combine.
- Use a small spoon and carefully spoon beef mixture into hollowed out zucchini boats. Fill as full as you’d like as long as it’s not overflowing the zucchini boat.
How Long To Bake Zucchini Boats
- Top each zucchini boat evenly with shredded cheddar cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove and serve immediately. If you over bake, the zucchini can get get soggy. 10-12 minutes should be good.
Ad-in Options and Substitutions
The nice thing about this recipe, is it’s very versatile. You can add more vegetables to the meat filling such as onion and jalapeno for some spice. You can substitute the beans with your favorite variety. If you don’t like pinto, try black beans or garbanzo beans. You can also leave the beans and even corn out completely. I’ve even added a cup of steamed rice to the beef filling for another variation. Try topping your zucchini boats with guacamole, salsa, chopped cilantro, sour cream or more of your favorite taco toppings.
How To Serve Zucchini Boats
Serve zucchini boats warm, shortly after pulling out of the oven. These are best enjoyed within 15 minutes of coming out of the oven. I like to serve my zucchini boats with a number of sides such as a nice side salad, bowl of pasta, steamed rice even. If you’ve got fresh cilantro, chop a handful and sprinkle over top before serving.
How To Store Leftovers
Note, you’ll have a decent amount of beef taco filling leftover. Place leftover beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I recommend using the leftover beef inside burritos, tacos, over rice, over salad and even with eggs. Lots of options. Another note, if there’s leftover zucchini boats, I would save the beef separately with the other leftover beef. Cut up zucchini boats to saute for another use.
Can I Freeze Zucchini Boats
I would not recommend freezing the cooked zucchini as it does not thaw and re-heat great. If you’d like to freeze the leftover taco meat, place the cooled meat in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before re-heating on medium-low in a saucepan.
Try More Delicious Healthier Recipes
Beef Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Equipment
- Oven
- large baking sheet
- parchment paper
- Large Skillet/Fry Pan
- mixing spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini ends cut and sliced in half length wise
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound lean ground beef 85% lean or higher
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce such as Cholula
- 1/2 cup prepared salsa verde
- 1 cup corn kernels drained
- 1 cup pinto beans or beans of choice, drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Take each zucchini half and spoon out the top middle of the zucchini scraping with a spoon until a nice well is created. This will hold the beef taco filling. Place zucchini boats onto parchment lined baking sheet.
- Pour olive oil in large pan over medium heat. When hot add minced garlic, stirring and cooking for one minute. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic salt, cumin and hot sauce. Cook and stir until beef is browned. Add salsa verde, corn and beans, stirring to combine.
- Use a small spoon and carefully spoon beef mixture into hollowed out zucchini boats. Fill as full as you'd like as long as it's not overflowing the zucchini boat. Top each zucchini boat evenly with shredded cheddar cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove and serve immediately. Save leftover beef mixture for another dinner. It's great inside burritos, tacos and salad for another dinner idea.
Notes
Nutrition
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