For an easy and healthy dinner idea, make zucchini boats with ground beef! Cook some hamburger with healthy taco seasoning, then bake it inside the zucchini with corn and cheddar cheese. Just a few minutes in the oven and you’ll have an ooey gooey cheesy southwest-inspired meal!
Looking for a delicious and healthy recipe that’s also super easy to make? Our Stuffed Ground Beef Taco Zucchini Boats are perfect for anyone who wants a delicious meal without a lot of fuss.
Juicy ground beef gets cooked to perfection with taco seasoning, all packed into tender zucchini boats, and sprinkled with shredded cheese that gets melty and golden brown in under an hour!
Why You’ll Love Love Taco Zucchini Boats
- A healthy, kid-friendly meal. Kids are more likely to eat vegetables when they’re fun to eat, and stuffed zucchini falls into this category perfectly! We also have a recipe for Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers!
- Effortless to make. Say goodbye to complicated recipes! With simple steps like browning hamburger, mixing in veggies, and baking, this meal delivers gourmet level flavor without the hassle.
- Great meal prep dinner. We all have busy nights now and then. It’s nice to have a recipe to make ahead, so you can pop it in the oven when you get home.
Ingredients
For this recipe you’ll need:
- olive oil
- lean ground beef – We like to use an 85/15 blend. It adds flavor without too much greasy fat.
- white onion
- frozen corn
- zucchini – Look for medium sized zucchini – they’re the perfect portion size for one person.
- Southwest spices or taco seasoning mix
- cheddar cheese
- red enchilada sauce
Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Ground Beef: We like 85/15 ground beef. Feel free to use leaner ground beef depending on what you like. To make vegetarian you can use cooked lentils or ground beef substitute. You’ll need to adjust your cooking time. I haven’t tried making this with ground turkey or ground chicken but I think it would work. We love the Butcher Box Price for great ground beef!
Corn: You can omit the corn, or substitute it with black beans or chopped red bell peppers.
Onion: If you don’t have white onion on hand, red onion is a great substitute for Tex-Mex and Southwest dishes. Yellow onions will also work, but they’re a bit sweeter than white.
Add Ins: Feel free to add other veggies to the zucchini boats ground beef filling.
Enchilada Sauce: If you don’t have enchilada sauce, I think salsa would work. I haven’t tried it so I can’t be sure, but a salsa made with tomatoes would likely be fine to replace with the enchilada sauce! Tomato Sauce or marinara sauce would also work.
Cheddar: I like cheddar cheese best in this recipe, but monterey jack would also be good. Mozzarella cheese would work, but won’t have as much flavor.
How to make Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef
- Split zucchini in half and use a spoon to scoop out and chop the seedy centers.
- Brown ground beef for 8-10 minutes. Add onion, zucchini center, and corn. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic powder, salt, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and enchilada sauce.
- Mix together thoroughly.
- Arrange zucchini halves on baking sheet, then fill and top with cheese.
- Bake at 375° for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and starts to get brown.
Liz’s Tips for the best Stuffed Zucchini:
- Use a sharp knife and small scoop to create the boats.
- Drain any excess fat from the skillet if necessary. Depending on the quality and fat content of your ground beef, you may want to carefully pour off any excess grease into a heat-safe bowl or glass measuring cup.
- Arrange the zucchini halves on the baking pan before adding the filling.
What to serve with Stuffed Zucchini Boats
To round out your dinner, you can serve it with sides like cilantro lime rice or Mexican potatoes. Or, a simple basket of tortilla chips with sides of guacamole and corn salsa is great! You can also top the zucchini boats with salsa or diced tomatoes.
A lighter and healthier option is to serve the zucchini taco boats with marinated vegetable salad or a simple garden salad. Toss it with a healthy taco salad dressing – our recipe is easy and delicious!
If you want an adult drink option, we recommend either a skinny margarita or strawberry mojito.
Stuffed Zucchini Recipe FAQs
Baked zucchini can become soggy due to its high water content. You can try to prevent this by salting the zucchini before cooking to draw out excess moisture and be sure to ensure proper air circulation on the baking sheet y not crowing the boats.
Yes, you should leave the skin on when cooking zucchini; not only does it add nutritional value, but it also provides a pleasant texture and appearance to the dish while providing support to the zucchini.
Storage
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. After that, the zucchini boats with ground beef filling in them will probably be too soggy to enjoy.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing stuffed zucchini. Zucchini can get really watery and mushy when frozen.
Reheating: To reheat leftovers, place the taco boats onto a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Heat them in a 350° F. oven for 20-25 minutes. We do not recommend reheating zucchini in a microwave – the consistency will be very soggy.
Other healthy dinner recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Ideas. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Taco Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 oz ground beef
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 4-6 medium zucchini
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional, omit for low sodium
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup red enchilada sauce look for low salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º and prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.
- In a pan on the stove, heat olive oil. Brown ground beef for 8-10 minutes.
- While the ground beef cooks split zucchini in half, and use a spoon to scoop out the seedy centers. Chop centers and set aside.
- Add onion, zucchini center, and corn. Cook over medium heat for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in garlic powder, salt, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and enchilada sauce.
- Arrange zucchini halves on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Fill zucchini halves with ground beef filling, and top with cheese.
- Bake in oven for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to look browned.
- Remove from oven and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a sharp knife and small scoop to create the boats.
- Drain any excess fat from the skillet if necessary. Depending on the quality and fat content of your ground beef, you may want to carefully pour off any excess grease into a heat-safe bowl or glass measuring cup.
- Arrange the zucchini halves on the baking pan before adding the filling.
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