Lasagna Zucchini Boats

At a glance

What stands out: Gluten-free lasagna zucchini boats are stuffed with all the goodness of lasagna but without all the heavy pasta. All the flavors of lasagna in a lighter, healthier dish!

How long it takes: 30 minutes to prep, 45 minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: baking dish, skillet, bowls and measuring tools
Servings: 4

Ricotta stuffed zucchini halves, topped with your favorite spaghetti sauce, and melty mozzarella cheese are fun, filling, and lighter. You’ll enjoy all the great flavors of lasagna but without all the noodles.

Sail away to a great dinner with lasagna zucchini boats. You’ll be glad you did!

Lasagna Zucchini Boats

Zucchini instead of pasta. Zucchini lends itself to being stuffed. They are a reliable size, fairly inexpensive, and nutritious. In the summer months, the farm markets are loaded with zucchini or maybe you even have a surplus in your garden.

An easier way to make lasagna. You won’t have to bother making all the time-consuming layers. We have a thing about lasagna. It just seems so tedious. We've come up with lasagna soup, skillet lasagna, and lasagna roll-ups just to avoid it (and they are all great, by the way).

Fits into many diets. This recipe is keto-friendly, as long as you choose marinara or spaghetti sauce that’s carb-free. It’s also gluten-free and it can easily be made into a vegetarian entree.

Kathleen Said:

“So good!!! A favorite in our home. Straightforward and company-worthy!!!”

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What goes in

• Zucchini: You’ll need four medium sized zucchini. Zucchini squash size can vary wildly, from pickle-sized to submarines. Look for zucchini that are roughly 8 inches long.
• Lean Ground Beef or Turkey: Ground chicken or Italian sausage are good options, too, or leave the meat out for a vegetarian dish. The ground meat is sautéed with Onion, seasoned with Salt and Pepper, and Minced Garlic.
• Marinara Sauce: Spaghetti sauce is fine, too. Use from-scratch or sauce from a jar. You’ll need about a cup.
• Ricotta Cheese, Egg, Parmesan Cheese: Stirred together for the creamy layer we all love in lasagna, seasoned with garlic powder, dried oregano, black pepper, fresh parsley and basil.
• Mozzarella Cheese: The lasagna boats are topped with a layer of melted mozzarella.

How it comes together

Prepare the zucchini squash. You don’t need to peel the zucchini. The tender dark green skin of zucchini is totally edible and contains lots of lighter antioxidants. Slice them lengthwise, stem to stern. Scoop out the insides, leaving a quarter inch rim. Discard what you scoop out. It will be mostly seeds. Put them, cut side down, on a paper towel to drain while you get the “stuffing” ready.

Make the meat sauce. Brown the meat in a skillet with onions, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Stir in spaghetti sauce.

Stir up the stuffing. Mix up the creamy ricotta stuffing. It’s pretty much the same as what you find in lasagna: ricotta, egg, Parmesan, and herbs.

Fill the boats. Now you’re ready to assemble the lasagna zucchini boats. Divide the ricotta mixture evenly between the eight zucchini halves, spreading it out from end to end.

Top that with the meaty sauce. Way easier than lasagna, right?

Bake. Put the boats into a baking dish and bake until the zucchini is tender, about 35 minutes. Top with mozzarella, and bake for a few more minutes.

Aren’t they beautiful? We just love these boats and we're sure you will, too!

Ways to change it

• Meat options: Substitute Italian sausage or ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef.
• Cheese option: Replace the ricotta cheese with cottage cheese, if you like.
• Vegetarian: Stuffed zucchini make a reliable vegetarian entree. Simply leave out the ground meat. There’s plenty of substance and taste without the beef or turkey in this dish.
• Zucchini are “stuffable.” Try pesto and cheese stuffed zucchini or boursin cheese stuffed zucchini as an appetizer, side dish, or light main course.
• Not into zucchini? Try our stuffed shells with meat (with pasta shells), cheesy manicotti, or for something completely different, try stuffed butternut squash with quinoa, kale, and bacon.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Assemble the stuffed zucchini but don’t bake. Refrigerate for up to one day, covered tightly. Bake as directed, adding five minutes to baking time.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Leftover zucchini boats can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. They are good the next day!

Reheat: Just microwave them on high in one minute increments (or push the reheat button) until heated through.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #10 and Meal Plan 74. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

Low carb and low calorie, with a non-assertive flavor, zucchini squash can be served in so many rich ways, raw or cooked. Try one of these recipes!

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 55 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 large zucchini (about 6 ounces each)
• ½ pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
• ½ cup diced onion (about 1 medium yellow onion)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley (additional for garnishing, if desired)
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh basil (additional for garnishing, if desired)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Cut each zucchini in half vertically, from top to bottom. Scoop out the insides of each zucchini half, leaving about ¼ -inch rim. Set aside, cut side down, on a paper towel to drain.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ground beef and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat, until beef is no longer pink and onions are translucent. Drain grease if needed. Add garlic and continue to cook for one minute, stirring, or until fragrant. Add marinara sauce and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
4. Add marinara sauce and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
5. In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper.
6. Spread the cheese mixture evenly into the bottom of each of the zucchini “boats” and place in prepared baking dish. Spoon meat sauce on top of ricotta mixture.
7. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Continue to bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted and zucchini is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
9. Serve, garnished with fresh parsley or basil, if desired.

Notes

Meat options: If you prefer, replace ground beef with Italian sausage or ground chicken, or omit the meat for a vegetarian entree.

With cottage cheese: Cottage cheese can be used as a substitute for ricotta cheese.

Make ahead: Prepare the boats but don’t bake them. Refrigerate for up to a day, tightly covered. Bake as directed, adding five minutes to baking time.