Spicy Zucchini Boats Recipes

ITALIAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Measure one cup of marinara sauce and set aside.
• Trim the ends from the zucchini and slice them in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape the inside of the zucchini forming a cavity, being careful not to cut through.
• Place the zucchini boats in a 9 x 13" baking dish and add a cup of water. Cover with foil then bake for 20 minutes or until just slightly fork tender. Remove from oven, remove foil and set aside to cool slightly.
• While the zucchini is cooking, add the olive oil to a skillet and place over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, onions, peppers, and garlic to the pan, and stir until fully combined. Cook, stirring to break up the ground turkey as it cooks. Cook until the meat is cooked and the vegetables have softened. If there is too much grease, drain off as much as possible. and return skillet to the heat.
• Add the remaining 2 cups marinara sauce, parsley and spices and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the spices if necessary.
• Remove the zucchini from the baking dish and drain off the water. Pour the 1 cup marinara on the bottom of the dish and place the zucchini on top of the sauce.
• Fill the zucchini cavities with the meat sauce. If you have extra, add it around the zucchini or save it to enjoy with pasta another day. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. or until zucchini is fork tender.
• Remove dish from oven and set the oven to broil. Remove the foil then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, then the parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and then the breadcrumbs evenly over the six zucchini boats.
• Place dish in the oven and broil for approximately 2 minutes, with the door open, until the cheese has melted and golden in colour.
• *I used my Basil Tomato Sauce Recipe #447975.

SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE ZUCCHINI BOATS

Steps:

• Heat gas grill to medium or charcoal grill until coals are ash white.
• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out center of each zucchini, using spoon or melon baller. Chop zucchini pulp; set aside.
• Place sausage into skillet; cook over medium heat, breaking up sausage, until sausage is browned and cooked through. Remove from heat; drain. Stir in chopped zucchini; set aside.
• Melt butter in another skillet over medium heat until sizzling. Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in tomatoes; cook 5-8 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat.
• Lay 2 pieces cheese side-by-side, overlapping slightly, in bottom of zucchini. Spoon sausage mixture evenly over cheese; top each with tomato mixture.
• Place zucchini onto grill. Close cover; grill 15 minutes or until zucchini is softened and cheese is melted. Serve warm.

VEGAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Cut the zucchini in half (lengthwise) and scoop out about 2/3 of the flesh leaving a 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick border around the skin. Check the step-by-step photos above in the blog post.
• Chop the scooped out zucchini with a large knife and set aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 4 minutes.
• Add garlic, bell pepper, zucchini flesh, all spices, soy sauce, rice vinegar, tomato paste, hot sauce, and plant-based milk. Put a lid on the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, prepare the vegan cheese sauce or use store-bought vegan cheese.
• At the same time, preheat oven to 410 degrees Fahrenheit (210 degrees Celsius) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add chickpeas to the skillet and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more salt/pepper/spices to taste.
• Stuff each zucchini half with the chickpea mixture.
• Add vegan cheese on top and bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven. Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!

SPICY ZUCCHINI BOATS

Steps:

• Place zucchini in a microwave-safe pan, cut-side down. Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pan. Cook in the microwave oven for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Remove zucchini from the microwave and add to the boiling water. Cook until desired softness, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine whole wheat bread, cayenne peppers, jalapeno pepper, bacon, Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, seasoned salt, onion salt, black pepper, and basil in a bowl until filling is combined.
• Drain zucchini and cool until safe to handle, about 10 minutes.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Scoop out zucchini pulp to about 1/4-inch from the skin and add to filling. Use an electric mixer to mix. Stuff zucchini halves with filling and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle dry bread crumbs on top.
• Broil under high heat until tops start to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

ITALIAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Measure out 1 cup of the marinara sauce and set aside.
• Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the zucchini flesh (see recipe note), chop it and set it aside. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish and add about 1-inch of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just slightly fork-tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, add olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and place over MEDIUM heat. Add turkey (or beef), onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Continue to cook and stir until meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies have softened. Drain off as much grease as possible and return the skillet to the heat.
• Add the chopped zucchini flesh, mushrooms, remaining marinara in jar (reserve 1 cup for later), parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
• Remove partially cooked zucchini from baking dish and pour off water. Pour the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce into the empty baking dish and place zucchini boats on top of the sauce.
• Divide the filling between the zucchini boats. If you have extra filling, spoon it into the dish around the zucchini boats. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, or until zucchini is fork tender. Remove dish from oven and set oven to BROIL.
• Remove foil and sprinkle zucchini boats with mozzarella, Parmesan and the panko bread crumbs. Place dish in oven, watching closely, and cook for just a couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden brown.

SPICY ZUCCHINI BOATS WITH TOMATO & PEPPER JACK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove the onion with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds from the middle of the zucchini to make the boats, leaving 1/2 inch of the zucchini intact.
• Season the zucchini boats evenly with salt, pepper and basil. Spread the onions out on top of the zucchini. Place four sliced tomatoes on top of each boat. Top with pepper jack cheese and add another layer of tomatoes. Top with some more pepper jack cheese.
• Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender. Garnish with basil.
• Enjoy!

STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS RECIPE (ITALIAN FLARE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the center with a spoon to make a little boat. Set aside.
• Place the ground beef into a frying pan over medium heat. Brown the ground beef until fully cooked, making sure to break apart any large chunks.
• Add in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic. Stir until fully incorporated and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Stir in 1 cup of marinara sauce and remove from heat.
• Fill each zucchini boat with the meat mixture. Line the boats up in a deep baking dish.
• Top them with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle the tops with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!