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Ground Beef Zucchini Boats

Ground beef zucchini boats with hollowed zucchini halves stuffed with a savory Italian beef-and-tomato mixture and topped with melted, golden mozzarella. This low carb zucchini recipe bakes until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is bubbly, finished with fresh basil.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Zucchini boats
  • 4 zucchini Halved lengthwise and hollowed, leaving about a 1/4-inch border.
Italian beef and tomato filling
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion Small onion, diced.
  • 3 garlic Minced cloves.
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes Drained.
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • salt To taste.
  • black pepper To taste.
Cheese topping
  • 1.5 cup mozzarella cheese Shredded.
  • 0.25 cup parmesan Grated.
  • fresh basil For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with foil.
  2. Hollow zucchini halves by scooping out the centers with a spoon, leaving a 1/4-inch border; chop the scooped flesh and set aside.
Make the beef and tomato mixture
  1. Brown ground beef with diced onion in a skillet over medium-high heat, then drain excess fat.
  2. Add minced garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, stirring, until fragrant.
  3. Add chopped zucchini flesh, drained diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper, then cook for 5 minutes.
Assemble and bake
  1. Arrange zucchini shells on the sheet pan and fill each generously with the beef mixture.
  2. Top the filled zucchini with shredded mozzarella and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
  3. Bake at 400°F for 20–22 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is golden-bubbly, then garnish with fresh basil.

Notes

For crisp-tender zucchini, keep the 1/4-inch border consistent so boats don’t collapse during baking. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended because zucchini texture softens after thawing. For a lower-fat option, use 90% lean ground beef or a leaner turkey-beef blend while keeping seasoning the same.