Stuffed Vegetarian Zucchini Boats
Stuffed vegetarian zucchini turns this simple vegetable into a flavorful and tasty dish the whole family will love. Tender zucchini is topped with a simple, meaty, vegetarian tomato sauce and some cheese transforming it into an amazing family-friendly main dish.
Servings 4
Calories 219kcal
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus some for brushing
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ onion diced small (about 1 cup)
- ½ red bell pepper diced small (about 1 cup)
- 4 large cremini mushrooms chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 ½ cups meatless crumbles tofu crumbles, or cooked lentils
- 2 cups marinara sauce your favorite
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- Split the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the zucchini seeds and fleshy part leaving about a ½ inch thick layer of zucchini flesh. Chop it up and set it aside.2 medium zucchini
- Place the zucchini halves face up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until desired tenderness. Drain off any liquid in the zucchini1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus some for brushing, Salt and pepper to taste
- Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot add onions, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cook five minutes until softened. Add about 1 cup of zucchini insides and cook another 1-2 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid from veggies.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus some for brushing, ½ onion, ½ red bell pepper, 4 large cremini mushrooms
- Add meatless crumbles, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and red chili flakes. Cook until heated through then remove from heat.1 ½ cups meatless crumbles, 2 cups marinara sauce, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Fill each zucchini with veggie meat sauce mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Bake in oven for 10-15 to melt the cheese.1 cup shredded cheese
Notes
Be sure to check out the full post above for more ingredient tips, variations, serving suggestions, storage info, and more!
- Don’t waste your zucchini insides!! You will only be adding about a cup – though you can add them all if you want. I like to save the extras to toss into a veggie tofu scramble or vegetable soup.
- Salt your zucchini boats before baking. It will make the end results much more flavorful.
- Don’t overcook the zucchini. It bakes twice so it’s important you don’t cook too long during its first time in the oven. You should see it slightly soften on the top, water should pool in the center, and it should slightly give when you pierce it with a fork. You can always cook it longer the second time around if you prefer soft zucchini. I found 15 minutes to work well for me.
- Choose the right size zucchini. Thicker-sized zucchini work best and it’s important to choose zucchini that are close to the same size.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the zucchini seeds and insides. It’s way safer than a knife and you are less likely to remove too much. I start on one end, press the spoon down into the zucchini, and then scoop it out.
- Bake in a casserole dish. I found the sides of the casserole dish worked well to keep the zucchini boats a bit more stable.
Nutrition
Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 898mg | Potassium: 846mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1390IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 190mg | Iron: 4mg
