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Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats
5 from 96 votes

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats feature halved zucchinis hollowed out and filled with a savory mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, ground beef cooked with marinara and herbs, then baked until tender and bubbling. This dish offers a lighter take on classic lasagna by using zucchini as edible vessels, combining rich cheeses and well-seasoned meat sauce.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 8 Zucchini boats
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 4 zucchini 2 1/2 lbs), sliced into halves through the length, medium
  • 1 cup (8.6 oz) ricotta cheese part-skim
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp parsley plus more for garnish, chopped, fresh
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 oz) mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 1/2 cup (1.5 oz) Parmesan Cheese finely shredded
  • 8 oz ground beef 90% lean or lean ground turkey
  • 4 tsp olive oil divided
  • salt freshly ground
  • black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 3/4 cup marinara sauce such as Classico, roasted garlic
  • 1 Tbsp basil plus more for garnish, chopped, fresh

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a spoon, scoop centers from zucchini while leaving a 1/4-inch rim to create boats. Set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl stir together ricotta cheese, egg and 1 1/2 Tbsp of the parsley. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
  3. Heat 2 tsp of the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Crumble beef into pan, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up beef when stirring, until browned (there shouldn't be any excess fat but if you happened to use a fattier beef then just drain excess rendered fat).
  5. Stir in marinara sauce and 1 Tbsp of the basil, remove from heat.
  6. To assemble boats, brush both sides of of zucchini lightly with remaining 2 tsp olive oil and place in two baking pans (I used a 13 by 9 and a 9 by 9). Divide cheese mixture among zucchini spooning about 2 1/2 Tbsp into each, then spread cheese mixture into and even layer.
  7. Divide sauce among zucchini adding a few heaping spoonfuls to each. Cover baking dishes with foil and place in oven side by side and bake in preheated oven 30 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven, sprinkle tops with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella, return to oven and bake until cheese has melted and zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle tops with with fresh basil and parsley and serve warm.

Notes

  • Select zucchinis that are wider and fairly uniform in width to hold more filling and ease assembly.
  • This recipe is adapted from Cooking Classy.