Beef and Rice Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredient Notes

See recipe card for exact amounts and step-by-step instructions.

zucchini – we use medium zucchini for this recipe, they are about 7″ long and 2 – 2 1/2″ wide. This particular recipe makes the perfect amount of filling to fill 8 zucchini halves. 

ground beef – I almost always use lean ground beef for two reasons, it’s better for us and I don’t have to drain it. 

cooked rice – we are huge fans of boil-in-bag rice (not an affiliate link, just showing you what I use) so I use it. 

marinara sauce – I like this as opposed to tomato sauce because it has some herbs and spices in it.

chopped onion – white onion or yellow onion will work just fine. I use whatever I have on-hand. 

garlic – I almost always use the pre-chopped garlic that comes in a jar. 

seasonings – we add a generous amount of Italian seasoning and a bit of salt and black pepper. 

crushed red pepper – we add just a little bit to give our beef mixture a little extra kick. 

cheese – for this recipe we use freshly grated cheddar cheese, pre-shredded can be used but it won’t melt as well as the cheese you see in the photos. I just happened to have a block of cheese when I made these, but I use the pre-shredded kind A LOT to save time. 

How to make 

1. Wash zucchini, cut the stem end off and cut in half length-wise. Scoop out the inside of the zucchini with a small spoon or melon baller, leaving about 1/4″ thick walls, discard cores. 
2. Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the pasta sauce, rice, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper and heat, stirring occasionally until hot (about 3-4 minutes). 
3. Divide the meat mixture among the zucchini shells, top with cheese and bake in a 375° oven for 20-30 minutes or until the zucchini is tender when pierced with a fork. 

Variations

• This can be made with any type of rice you want, brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice or wild rice will all work in this recipe. 
• Any kind of meat can be used; ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken are all great choices. If using one of these you will need to put a bit of olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil in the bottom of the skillet before you add the meat. 
• Use whatever cheese you like, mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese would be great on these. 

Storage and reheating

Store leftover zucchini boats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We reheat these in the oven in a casserole dish covered with aluminum foil. It actually takes about as long as when we bake them the first time because all of the ingredients are ice cold, usually 25-30 minutes.