Name: Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 2 tablespoons onion chopped finely; 2 minced garlic cloves; 2 teaspoons cumin; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder; sal, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste; 2 cups crushed tomatoes or taco sauce; 3 tablespoons quick-cooking instant rice; 3 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise then hollowed out (save the middles for zucchini bread); 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Sharp Cheddar; Optional Garnish: olives, sour cream, sliced olives, avocado, diced tomatoes, taco sauce, cilantro, or your favorite toppings

Taco-Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a flavorful stuffing that has all the delicious flavors of a taco inside a fork-tender zucchini hollowed out!

You don't have to wait until summer to make these fork-tender stuffed Zucchini Boats; they can be made any season.

These Taco Zucchini Boats are jam-packed with flavor and have fewer carbs than the traditional flour or corn tortilla tacos, and everyone in our family loves the different fillings that can change them up.

These are so easy to make with so many alternative fillings you'll find in our suggestions below for vegetarian taco stuffings and meat lovers to make so you can make different taco zucchini boats.

The zucchini can be stuffed with even leftover chili to save time.

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Taco-Stuffed Zucchini Boats Garnish Serving Bar Set Up

sour cream
avocado
black beans
sliced olives
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese
diced onion
diced peppers
diced tomatoes
refried bean dip side dish
taco sauce
Spanish rice side dish

zucchini on a cutting board hollwed out with a knife and spoon

Other Stuffing Suggestions

use the scooped-out zucchini with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and any kind of olives
add Italian sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sliced peppers
add shaved meats like pork or steak with onions, sauce, any kind of melted cheese, and hot sauce
diced boneless cooked chicken breasts, tomato sauce, sprinkled with bread crumbs topped with mozzarella cheese
shrimp, parmesan, tomato sauce, garlic, mozzarella (or use another mild fish)
buffalo chicken using tenders, buffalo sauce, shredded cheddar ( you can add rice also and black beans)
white canned beans, rice, tomato sauce, and mozzarella
chicken with bacon, peppers, onions, cheddar, mushrooms, rice, and use a chicken gravy
ground beef with Italian seasoning and garlic
ground turkey or chicken with any of the seasoning suggestions
lamb with allspice, cinnamon, or 7-spice seasoning
ground pork (barbecue seasoning or sauce)
a combination of rice, ground beef, feta cheese, and tomatoes
Italian loose sausage with Italian seasoning
seafood, rice, diced with lemon pepper, garlic
diced kielbasa, sauerkraut, cooked rice and tomatoes
leftover chili

Vegetarian with Rice:

diced tomatoes
peppers
zucchini
middles
grated with rice
onion
mushrooms
cubed eggplant
olives
asparagus
diced carrots
shaved shredded cabbage
beans of any kind

Cooking Methods

Stovetop: Use a Dutch oven to simmer for around an hour until the squash is soft and the meat is cooked
Oven: Bake at 350 degrees covered for the first 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 30 minutes. Top with cheese and broil
Instant Pot: Add 1 cup of water to the bottom, set on pressure cooker mode for 40 minutes
Slow Cooker: Place on high for 6 hours, adding 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom first.

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American, Mexican

Yield: 6

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Zucchini stuffed with a taco mixture of blended spices, ground beef, and rice. Baked topped with sauce and cheese.

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons onion chopped finely
2 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
sal, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
2 cups crushed tomatoes or taco sauce
3 tablespoons quick-cooking instant rice
3 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise then hollowed out (save the middles for zucchini bread)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Sharp Cheddar
Optional Garnish: olives, sour cream, sliced olives, avocado, diced tomatoes, taco sauce, cilantro, or your favorite toppings

Instructions

In a large frying pan saute the beef in 3 tablespoons olive oil then drain the fat.
Add all the spices, onion, and garlic and saute for 2 minutes then add 1 cup of tomatoes with instant rice.
Simmer around 6 to 7 minutes then cool.
In the meantime, slice the zucchini lengthwise and using a melon scoop, remove the centers being very careful not to pierce through the bottom flesh.
Stuff each zucchini with taco stuffing, then drizzle each one with olive oil and a little more tomatoes on top of each one.
Top with shredded cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees until the fork goes through the skin of the zucchini easily around 25 minutes.
Serve with garnishes in the notes if preferred.

Notes

Other Stuffing Suggestions

use the scooped-out zucchini with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and any kind of olives
add Italian sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sliced peppers
add shaved meats like pork or steak with onions, sauce, any kind of melted cheese, and hot sauce
diced boneless cooked chicken breasts, tomato sauce, sprinkled with bread crumbs topped with mozzarella cheese
shrimp, parmesan, tomato sauce, garlic, mozzarella (or use another mild fish)
buffalo chicken using tenders, buffalo sauce, shredded cheddar ( you can add rice also and black beans)
white canned beans, rice, tomato sauce, and mozzarella
chicken with bacon, peppers, onions, cheddar, mushrooms, rice, and use a chicken gravy
ground beef with Italian seasoning and garlic
ground turkey or chicken with any of the seasoning suggestions
lamb with allspice, cinnamon, or 7-spice seasoning
ground pork (barbecue seasoning or sauce)
a combination of rice, ground beef, feta cheese, and tomatoes
Italian loose sausage with Italian seasoning
seafood, rice, diced with lemon pepper, garlic
diced kielbasa, sauerkraut, cooked rice and tomatoes
leftover chili

Vegetarian with Rice:
diced tomatoes
peppers
zucchini
middles
grated with rice
onion
mushrooms
cubed eggplant
olives
asparagus
diced carrots

Taco-Stuffed Zucchini Boats Garnish Serving Bar Set Up

sour cream
avocado
sliced olives
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese
diced onion
diced peppers
diced tomatoes
refried beans
taco sauce

Cooking Methods

Stovetop: use a Dutch oven to simmer for around an hour until the squash is soft and the meat is cooked
Oven: bake at 350 degrees covered for the first 30 minutes then undercover for another 30 minutes top with cheese and broil
Instant Pot: Add 1 cup of water to the bottom, set on pressure cooker mode for 40 minutes
Slow Cooker: place on high for 6 hours adding 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom first.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

400.87

Fat (grams)

28.11 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

13.25 g

Carbs (grams)

13.19 g

Fiber (grams)

3.41 g

Net carbs

9.77 g

Sugar (grams)

6.51 g

Protein (grams)

25.59 g

Sodium (milligrams)

455.81 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

87.2 mg

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