Turkey Stuffed Zucchini
If you haven’t noticed, I am a huge zucchini fan. When my garden is overflowing with zucchini in the summer, I love to make stuffed zucchini for dinner. They’re delicious, nutritious, and easy filled with a ground turkey stuffing. You can even meal prep them to save time right before dinner. I have a ton of zucchini recipes, including these Sausage Stuffed Zucchini and Veggie Lasagna Zucchini Boats.
How to Make Stuffed Zucchini
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini: Fill zucchini boats with a mixture of seasoned ground lamb or tueky, crumbled feta cheese, chopped tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and fresh mint. Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini: Saute chopped sun-dried tomatoes with garlic and spinach. Mix with crumbled goat cheese and fresh herbs like basil or oregano. Stuff the mixture into halved zucchini and bake until tender. Breakfast Stuffed Zucchini: Sauté eggs with diced bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and crumbled cooked sausage. Fill the mixture into hollowed-out zucchinis and top with cheese. Pizza Stuffed Zucchini: Fill the hollowed zucchini with marinara sauce, Italian sausage, and cheese and bake. Finish with fresh basil.
I’d love to hear some of your ideas in the comments! And if you make these stuffed zucchini boats, I would love to see them! Tag me in your photos on Instagram or Facebook!
Zucchini: Try to buy zucchini that are about the same size so you can have equal-sized zucchini boats. Mine were all approximately 6 ounces. And don’t worry about wasting any vegetables—the zucchini flesh goes in the turkey stuffing. Butter: Sauté the onions, shallots, and garlic in butter. Onions: Finely dice half of an onion and a shallot. I used both for maximum onion flavor. Garlic: Crushing garlic cloves gives them a more robust flavor than mincing them. White Wine: When cooking with wine, choose any dry white wine that’s good enough for drinking. Ground Turkey: Buy 93% ground turkey for a lean protein without much fat that’s not dry. Egg White: The egg white binds the ground turkey and breadcrumbs while adding lean protein. Parmesan adds a nutty aroma and creaminess. Chicken Broth: Pour the broth into the bottom of the baking dish to help steam the zucchini. Breadcrumbs: Sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs on the stuffing for a crispy topping. Spices: Salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning season the turkey and zucchini mixture.
Variations and Tips
Zucchini: Sub yellow squash. Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef: Substitute 90% or 93% lean ground beef. Italian Sausage: Replace ground turkey with Italian chicken or turkey sausage—Remove it from the casings, and don’t season it with salt. Onions: If you don’t have both an onion and a shallot, double the amount of the one you do have. You can also use a red onion. Cheese: Swap parmesan with Pecorino Romano or shredded mozzarella cheese. Can’t eat cheese? Skip it or use a dairy-free cheese. Breadcrumbs: I like 4C’s seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs, but you can use whatever kind you have. If you use unseasoned ones, add onion powder, garlic powder, and dried herbs to them. Gluten-Free: Buy gluten-free breadcrumbs or omit them. No onion powder? Replace it with garlic powder. No Italian seasoning? Use a mix of dried herbs to make your own. Herbs: Add fresh herbs, like rosemary or oregano. If the stuffing doesn’t brown, remove the foil and broil for 1 to 2 minutes.
What to Serve with Stuffed Zucchini
One serving of this healthy stuffed zucchini recipe contains almost 32 grams of protein, so it’s filling, to say the least! Below are some side dish ideas if you want to add a carb or a couple of easy salads if you want an extra veggie.
Rice Pilaf Crispy Roasted Potatoes Arugula Salad Hearts of Palm Salad
How to Meal Prep Stuffed Zucchini
You can do some of the prep ahead of time to make getting dinner on the table faster and easier.
Prep the zucchini, make the stuffing, and assemble the boats the day before. The next day, bake the turkey zucchini boats in the oven before dinner. If you will be short on time the day you are serving them, bake the zucchini for 25 minutes the day before and finish baking them right before dinner to reheat them.
Storage
Store the stuffed zucchini in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. To reheat, thaw them in the fridge and reheat in the oven or microwave.
More Stuffed Zucchini Recipes You’ll Love
Turkey Santa Fe Zucchini Boats Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats Colombian-Style Zucchini Rellenos
