Zucchini Boats Ground Beef (Printable)

Savory stuffed zucchini halves with ground beef and melted cheese, perfect for easy, low-carb meals.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 medium zucchini
02 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 medium tomato, diced

→ Meat

05 - 1.1 lbs ground beef

→ Dairy

06 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

→ Pantry

07 - 2 tbsp olive oil
08 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
09 - 1 tsp dried oregano
10 - ½ tsp dried basil
11 - ½ tsp paprika
12 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Optional Garnish

13 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the center flesh, leaving approximately ½-inch thick shells. Chop the reserved flesh for later use.
03 - Arrange zucchini halves cut-side up in a baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season lightly with salt and black pepper.
04 - Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion until softened, about 3 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
05 - Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking it apart, for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
06 - Stir in chopped zucchini flesh, diced tomato, tomato paste, oregano, basil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until vegetables soften and mixture thickens.
07 - Spoon the beef mixture evenly into the zucchini shells. Top each with shredded mozzarella cheese.
08 - Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
09 - Remove the foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
10 - Optionally, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's low-carb but doesn't taste like you're missing anything, with all the savory, cheesy satisfaction of comfort food.
  • The whole thing comes together in under an hour, and most of that is just oven time while you do something else.
  • One pan, zero guilt, and it always gets people asking for the recipe because it looks way more complicated than it actually is.
02 -
  • If you try to scoop the zucchini centers out too aggressively, you'll punch right through the shell and end up with a leak, so go slow and listen for the moment the spoon hits resistance.
  • Draining the excess fat from the beef is optional but worth doing if you like your filling less greasy—just tilt the skillet and let it run off.
  • The foil is your friend here; it keeps the zucchini from drying out before the beef mixture gets cooked through, so don't skip that step.
03 -
  • Make the beef filling a few hours ahead and let it chill; the flavors deepen and it's one less thing to rush through when you're prepping dinner.
  • If your zucchini are on the large side, increase the baking time by five to ten minutes because they need more time to get tender all the way through.

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