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Italian

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats

August 10, 2017 by Rebecca Rosati

These Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats are filled with lean ground turkey and veggies, flavored with Italian spices and marinara sauce then topped with cheese and toasted breadcrumbs… you will definitely have seconds without the guilt.

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I know zucchini boat recipes have been around for a while, but this recipe is so great for a low carb meal during the week when you’re rushed to get dinner on the table. I am also making these at the request of my mom’s best friend, Kris. It’s peak season for zucchini and she gave me fresh zucchini from her garden so there is no better time to make these delicious, fun boats!

I call Kris “T” which derived from her last name, but I am not sure when or why I gave her that nickname, but for whatever reason it stuck and she has forever been T to me. T has been like an Aunt since I was a little girl. Now as a woman, she is my mentor and I am so grateful for the friend she is to my mom.

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats

How To Prepare Zucchini Boats:

Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use a knife to cut an outline of the area you want to scoop out being very careful not to cut through then use the tip of a spoon to scrape the flesh out and on to a cutting board. Pour small amount of marinara sauce just to coat bottom of 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into baking dish skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil and set aside.

For this recipe I used my Le Creuset Heritage Stoneware Rectangular Baking Dish from William Sonoma. The Caribbean color is my favorite, I’m actually obsessed with this color but even more I am obsessed with this baking dish. I promise once you start cooking with this Le Creuset Stoneware you will never want to cook with anything else.

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats

How to Prepare Turkey and Veggie Filling:

Meanwhile, add olive oil to skillet and place over medium heat, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet and season with Italian seasoning and cook until softened. In a separate skillet add ground turkey and cook, stirring to break up the ground turkey as it cooks. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and continue to cook until turkey is cooked through, no longer pink. Combine cooked vegetables mixture with cooked ground turkey, stir to combine then add roughly 1 cup of marinara, stir well to combine. Divide the filling between the zucchini boats.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes:

Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 25 minutes, or until zucchini is tender to poke with fork. Remove dish from oven and set oven to broil. Sprinkle zucchini boats with mozzarella, bread crumbs, and Parmesan. Place back in oven and cook for only a couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden brown. *NOTE* Keep a close eye on boats to not burn top, it only requires a few minutes on broil.

If you have extra filling, store in air-tight container in your refrigerator for a healthy lunch.

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats
 
Author: The Well Dressed Kitchen
Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time:  15 mins
Cook time:  25 mins
Total time:  40 mins
Save Print
These Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats are filled with lean ground turkey and veggies, flavored with marinara sauce and Italian spices and topped with cheese and toasted breadcrumbs… you will definitely have seconds without the guilt.
Ingredients
  • 4 medium, uniformly-sized zucchini
  • 1 jar tomato basil sauce
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey or ground chicken
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ⅓ cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper, or to taste
  • 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup shaved or shredded Parmesan
  • 2 T. Italian style bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use a knife to cut an outline of the area you want to scoop out being very careful not to cut through then use the tip of a spoon to scrape the flesh out and on to a cutting board. Pour marinara sauce to coat bottom of 9" x 13" baking dish. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into baking dish.
  3. Meanwhile, add olive oil to skillet and place over medium heat, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet and season with Italian seasoning, cook until softened. In a separate skillet add ground turkey and cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Season meat with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and continue to cook until meat is cooked through, no longer pink. Combine cooked vegetable mixture with cooked ground turkey, stir to combine then add roughly 1 cup of marinara, stir well to combine.
  4. Divide the filling between the zucchini boats.
  5. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 25 minutes, or until zucchini is tender to poke with fork. Remove dish from oven and set oven to broil. Sprinkle zucchini boats with mozzarella, bread crumbs, and Parmesan. Place back in oven and cook for only a couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden brown. *NOTE* Keep a close eye on boats to not burn top, it only requires a few minutes on broil.
  6. If you have extra filling, store in air-tight container in your refrigerator for a healthy lunch.
3.5.3226

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Looking for other ways to eat Zucchini, try my Turkey Bolognese Zoodles recipe.

Filed Under: All Foods

Turkey Bolognese Zoodles

May 2, 2017 by Rebecca Rosati

This bolognese sauce is lightened up by using ground turkey served over zucchini noodles (Zoodles). You won’t miss the regular pasta in this dish, not even a little bit! 

Traditional Bolognese sauce is a meat sauce made with beef. In this recipe, I lightened up the sauce by using lean ground turkey and it’s just as delicious. This sauce has a light taste and doesn’t need a lot of time to cook. By not cooking this sauce too long, it helps the tomatoes retain their sweet taste but also allows for depth of flavor. The herbs will infuse the sauce with fresh flavor and the turkey sausage is just enough to add texture and heat.

Use Fresh Tomatoes If Possible:

This recipe is even better when using fresh tomatoes and is best when tomatoes are at their ripest. Tomatoes are the most favorable in the summer. You can tell when a tomato is ripe by the bright red color of the skin which should be smooth and slightly shiny without any dark spots or bruises. Even a small spot can indicate that the tomato is rotten on the inside. You can also test for ripeness by lightly squeezing the tomato for firmness. If the tomato is too hard, it needs more time to ripen.

Just before you are ready to serve, stir your zucchini noodles in the sauce and let sit for roughly 5 minutes, just to allow the zoodles to soften slightly. Don’t allow them to sit any longer because nobody wants a mushy noodle.

Turkey Sausage Tomato Sauce
 
Author: The Well Dressed Kitchen
Recipe type: Sauces
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  20 mins
Total time:  30 mins
Save Print
Ingredients
  • Turkey Sausage
  • Olive Oil
  • ½ Yellow Onion (large)
  • 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
  • 1 (28 oz can) crushed tomatoes
  • 6 to 8 Fresh Basil Leaves (chopped)
  • ½ tbsp. onion powder
  • ½ tbsp. garlic salt
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tbsp. Salt (more to taste)
  • 1 tbsp. Pepper (more to taste)
Instructions
  1. Remove the turkey sausage from its casing. Brown the turkey sausage in a shallow pan. While the turkey sausage is cooking, start by dicing your onion and garlic. Pour 2 tablespoons Olive Oil into deep pan and allow to heat for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and saute for a minute, add garlic and cook through until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, all spices, and turkey sausage to the onion mixture. Mix until well combined and spices are fully incorporated. Allow the sauce to boil and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. The sauce can be served right away, whether you spoon over zoodles or toss with pasta, this sauce is delicious.
3.5.3226

Looking for other ways to eat Zucchini, try my Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats.

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Filed Under: Everyday Meals, Pasta, Sauces, Turkey

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