How To Make The Best Stuffed Zucchini
When life hands you zucchini, we say stuff it. That’s certainly the advice of our Allrecipes community of home cooks, and it looks like they’ve got the right idea for using summer’s most popular squash. Read on for top tips from the community for prepping, stuffing, cooking, and serving stuffed zucchini.
Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table.
To make our #1 top-rated stuffed zucchini recipe, fresh zucchini is sliced lengthwise and scooped out to form “boats,” which are then filled with sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and the seeds you scooped out. Then everything is covered with prepare spaghetti sauce and baked under foil for 45 minutes. Finally you peel back the foil, sprinkle mozzarella over the top and bake until the cheese is melted.
VIDEO:Stuffed Zucchini
Pretty straightforward, wouldn’t you say? Well, our community of passionate home cooks offered up their own tips and tricks for making this recipe so it turns out just the way they want it. Take a look and see if they answer some questions you might have about cooking this recipe yourself.
How To Make Baked Pizza Zucchini Boats
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. I cut the ends off of my zucchini to make it easier to hollow out and so they would lay flat on the baking sheet.
Use a spoon to scrape out the center of the zucchini. I like to remove all of the seeds, but leave a bit of an edge so you can taste the zucchini itself. After all, this is replacing your pizza crust so you will want a little substance!
Spread marinara sauce inside each zucchini boat. I end up using about a tablespoon of sauce for each boat, but you can use as much as you prefer. I also use store-bought sauce, but homemade marinara would taste great in this recipe.
Next, comes the best part of all. Toppings. I love combination flavored pizza so I topped our pizza zucchini boats with cheese, mini pepperoni, olives, green pepper, onion, and mushrooms.
Our kids love making their own, so we will set all the optional toppings out for them and let them assemble their pizza boats themselves. I feel like the more kids are involved in the cooking process, the more they are willing to try new foods.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 12-18 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the zucchini is tender. Cooking time will vary on the thickness of your zucchini, so just keep an eye on it.
Each zucchini boat had right around 100 calories, which is great if you are trying to eat healthier or sneak more veggies into your familys diet.
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Do I Need To Salt Zoodles
Some people season their zucchini noodles with salt before cooking, while others dont.
First off, the concept behind salting zucchini is similar to that of salting slices of eggplant. When we prepare eggplant parmesan, we salt it, which causes the water to release and come out, preventing the dish from being watery.
The issue with this recipe is that when the water comes out, your zucchini automatically become moist, and if you dont drain the water from them, youll end up in the same mess with soggy/wet noodles.
Salting zucchini can also leave it limp and salty tasting. Although some individuals always do it, we never salt our zucchini before cooking it. You dont even need to cook the noodles for some recipes, so you dont need to salt the zucchini first.
Although it is debatable, we do not salt our zucchini at all before cooking instead, we simply spiralize it and proceed. If you heed the advice to avoid buying large zucchini and not peel them, you should be able to avoid salting them.
Of course, you can add salt to the cooked zucchini noodles to improve flavor, and we advise doing so.
TIP If you salt the noodles, be sure to drain the water out of them in a colander in the sink for 30 minutes before patting them dry.
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Best Ground Beef Stuffed Zucchini
This stuffed zucchini recipe has to be one of our new favorite summer meals. It utilizes hollowed-out zucchini to house a yummy ground beef taco meat thats made with corn, black beans, and cilantro.
The secret to perfect stuffed zucchini is to make sure you dont overcook your zucchini. There is nothing worse than mushy zucchini. This is why you only need to bake it at 350ºF for around 15 minutes!
How Do You Make Chicken Lettuce Wraps
To make chicken lettuce wraps, youll begin by adding your ground chicken to the pan and browning it before adding mushrooms and onions to the pan. Add your water chestnut, garlic, and ginger, then whisk the hoisin and soy sauce mixture in a separate bowl. Pour the sauce into the pan and spoon the delicious ground chicken into the lettuce leaves.
If youre struggling finding the ground chicken, its usually found in the meat area near the ground turkey. If you dont end up finding any in your store, ground turkey works just as well for your PF Changs lettuce wraps. The hoisin sauce mentioned in the recipe can be found in the Asian food aisle and is a slightly sweet sauce which really adds a lot of flavor to Asian dishes.
Great lettuce options for this dish are iceberg, romaine, or butter lettuce. I prefer butter lettuce due to its flavor and shape. I use shiitake mushrooms which are an Asian mushroom found in the produce aisle along with the other mushroom varieties. If you cant find shiitake mushrooms for your chicken lettuce wraps, regular button mushrooms will do just fine.
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Does Zucchini Get Softer The Longer You Cook It
Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can be cooked in many different ways. Some people believe that the longer zucchini is cooked, the softer it gets. Others say that its best to cook zucchini until its just tender, but still firm. Which method is best for you depends on your personal preferences.
How Do You Cook Zucchini So It Doesnt Get Mushy
Cooking zucchini can be a bit tricky, as it can turn into a mushy mess if not cooked properly. Here are a few tips to help you out:
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How To Scoop Out Zucchini
Before stuffing the zucchini, you need to make room for the delicious Italian sausage filling by scooping the pulp and seeds out of the zucchinis. If a visual of the process helps, check out this YouTube video.
- Choose medium-sized zucchini that are firm, unblemished, and ripe. An overripe zucchini will be mushy and harder to get the pulp scooped out. Extra large zucchini will have a tough skin that tastes bitter, so medium zucchini that have a soft skin are what we want.
- Leave the skin on the zucchini. It gives the stuffed zucchini structure and once cooked, you wont even notice it.
- Cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise. This is easy to do with a sharp knife. You can cut the top stem and the bottom off, if youd like.
- Use a spoon to scoop the flesh and seeds from the zucchini. You can discard the zucchini flesh and seeds or freeze it and add it to smoothies for an extra nutritional boost.
Tips To Make Baked Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- If you like the zucchini to be super soft and not crunchy in any way, cook for more time. If you like it more crunchy, cook for less time. This can be adjusted in the first part of pre-cooking the zucchini.
- Add more veggies like, mushrooms, bell pepper or jalapeños to add a spicy kick to it.
- Be sure to pile up the zucchinis well with filling to make them more protein packed.
- Serve with some salsa and sour cream to add more Mexican flavors to the dish.
- Best served fresh and never frozen.
- Core of the zucchini can be chopped and added to the filling and cooked with the meat.
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How To Bake Zucchini
How Long Do Zucchini Blossoms Keep Once They Are Picked
Zucchini blossoms are best prepared within a day or two that they are picked, ideally the day itself. The longer they stay in the fridge the more they will wilt and shrivel up.
The zucchini blossoms I had to work with were a day old and therefore a bit more challenging to fill but with the help of my son, we managed quite well. I shared tips further below on how we stuffed them without too much difficulty.
I stored my zucchini blossoms in the refrigerator on a paper towel covered tray and covered with additional paper towels to absorb any moisture until I was ready to stuff them.
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How Long To Bake Zucchini In Oven
Answer
Zucchini is a summer squash that can be eaten as is, or used in many different recipes. One way to cook zucchini is in the oven. There are many different ways to bake zucchini, so its important to choose the right one for your recipe. Here are some tips on how long to bake zucchini in the oven:
For a tender result, baking time will depend on the size and shape of your zucchini. Smaller zucchini will need less time than larger ones. For instance, a small zuke will take about 20 minutes in the oven while a large one might take 30 minutes or more. As for shape, round or elongated work best in pies and other baked goods where they are sliced thin.
How Do You Cut Zucchini For Baking
How to Cut Zucchini for Baking: 8 Steps
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Baked Stuffed Zucchini Variations
Fresh delicious zucchini can be prepared any way. Try these creative ideas!
Asian. Make the filling from my Copycat Lettuce Wraps and spoon it into the zucchini before baking.
Mediterranean. Stuff the zucchini with couscous and Italian turkey sausage using the recipe from my Stuffed Peppers.
Mexican. Make my Chicken and Chorizo Rice Skillet and scoop saffron-flavored spoonfuls into each boat.
Vegetarian. Skip the meat. Instead, sauté your favorite vegetables including mushrooms, corn, squash, tomatoes and stuff the vegetable mixture into the zucchini boats before topping with breadcrumbs and cheeses.
While zucchini is my favorite way to make this dish, other options are just as easy to substitute. Try one of these delicious vegetables.
Peppers. Sweet bell peppers in green, yellow, orange or red are delicious stuffed. I prefer the sweeter peppers paired with spicy sausage.
Eggplant. This veggie comes in a variety of sizes and colors from deep purple to white. Eggplant is meaty to begin with and so tasty stuffed with sausage and baked.
Summer Squash. The yellow variety is the easiest to find at the grocery store. I like to make zucchini and squash boats for a pretty presentation when I am serving this dish to guests.
Tips For Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- You can use mild or hot Italian sausage, pork or turkey sausage, or even ground beef for this recipe.
- Use your favorite brand of marinara sauce. I typically use Newmans Own or Classico.
- You can also make this recipe with yellow squash, or even hollowed out small eggplants!
- While I typically use mozzarella cheese in this dish, other great choices would be parmesan, fontina or provolone.
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Stuffed Zucchini Boat Variations
This is an Italian style stuffed zucchini, but there are so many other great ways to fill your squash!
- Mexican: Make a filling with 1 lb ground beef, 16 ounces tomato sauce, 4 ounces diced green chiles, 3/4 cup black beans and 1/2 cup corn, then top with cheddar cheese and bake.
- Asian: Make the filling for my chicken lettuce wraps, spoon it into the zucchini, then bake.
- Vegetarian: Make a filling with sauteed onion, 2 cups cooked grains such as rice or quinoa, 1 diced red bell pepper, salt, pepper, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, and fresh herbs.
Why Is My Zucchini Slimy On The Inside
Zucchini are a type of squash that typically grow in the summertime. As zucchini grows, its seeds will start to produce a fruit called a zucchini. The seeds will release a slimy substance that is used to help protect the fruit from birds and other animals.
This slimy substance also acts as a natural pesticide. As zucchini starts to ripen, the slimy substance will become more pronounced. This is because the sugars in the zucchini will start to ferment.
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Tips For Recipe Success
This zucchini recipe really is easy, but here are some tips to make sure your dish is awesome every single time!
- Use similar-sized zucchini. For even baking, its best if all of the zucchini are the same size.
- Scooping the zucchini. Be careful not to scoop your zucchini halves too deep. Leave about a 1/4 inch rim. If you go too deep, the filling may fall out of the bottom, once the zucchini boats have cooked.
- Pre-cook zucchini. Dont forget to cook the zucchini halves for about 10 minutes before adding the filling. This will ensure the veggie turns out nice and tender.
Should You Salt Zucchini Before Cooking
Zucchini is a summer squash that can be eaten cooked or raw. Before cooking, it is often salted to help preserve its color and reduce the amount of water it absorbs. Some people believe that salting zucchini before cooking makes it taste better, but others say that this step is unnecessary and only takes up space in the fridge. The decision whether or not to salt zucchini before cooking is up to you.
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Precook Large Zucchini Before Stuffing
“In order for the zucchini boats not to be undercooked, they should be baking in the oven while the stuffing is prepared.” MyVintageMommy
“If you have problems with crunchy zucchini, split them lengthwise and par boil them before scraping centers, stuffing and baking them. This works well on larger zucchini and makes scraping centers much easier. Do not over cook, 2 minutes usually does it. I have used this method for 23 years and this step makes the recipe much easier.” Pat Nelson
“Pre-cooking depends on the size of the zuck you’re using. If it’s a small or medium size zuck there is no need to pre-cook. 45 mins in the oven in enough time for it to cook to perfection. Perhaps if you’re using a really large size zucchini from someone’s garden then I can see pre-cooking a bit. If you do pre-cook be sure to put a wee bit of water in the dish.” lakelady
“You can solve the problem of underbaked boats by par-baking them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Just salt and pepper them and add a splash of olive oil to the hollowed-out zucchini.” bakergirl
“After halving the zucchini I microwaved them for a few minutes to pre-cook them a bit.” naples34102
Learn How To Make Baked Stuffed Zucchini
This dish features four medium-large zucchini, a meat mixture, panko crumbs and plenty of cheese.
I scoop out the insides of the zucchini in a small bowl saving the zucchini pulp. Next I place each zucchini half in a baking dish.
I sauté the chorizo and sausage in a large skillet at medium-high heat with fresh garlic and onion and stuff the zucchini shells with the meat filling.
Next, I top the zucchini halves with vine ripened tomatoes before sprinkling Panko breadcrumbs and mozzarella cheese on top.
The dish will bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F until golden brown. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve.
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How Do You Keep Zucchini From Drying Out
Zucchini is a vegetable that can be a great addition to any diet, but it can also be difficult to store and keep fresh. Keeping zucchini fresh requires some extra care, as the vegetable can easily dry out. Here are some tips on how to keep zucchini from drying out: