Beef Stuffed Zucchini Recipe with Tomato Sauce
Seasoned ground beef and cheese are the perfect fillings for the delicate flavor of zucchini. Smothered in a lively red sauce, Beef Stuffed Zucchini with Tomato Sauce is a hearty yet summery dish everyone will come running for!
Servings: 8
Equipment
Ingredients
Zucchini and Filling
- 4 medium to large zucchini (8 inches long)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided plus more for oiling the baking dish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water or broth
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup fresh coarse breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large plum tomato seeded and chopped
- 1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to tolerance
- 1 large sprig fresh basil coarsely chopped (approximately 1/2 cup)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pasta for serving
Instructions
Zucchini and Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Remove the ends from the zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape the seeds from each half, creating a trench. (Be careful to not remove too much pulp from the zucchini. You want a sturdy border to hold the filling.)
- Place the zucchini on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush each zucchini half with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Flip them over and brush the other side with olive oil.
- Roast for 10-12 minutes. (You don't want to be able to easily pierce them, you just want them to soften a little and take on some flavor.) Let cool while making the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook 4-5 minutes or until it begins to soften.
- Add the ground beef and cook 6-7 minutes, breaking the meat up as you go until it's no longer pink and cooked through. Drain off excess grease.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, water (preferably water from rinsing out cans of crushed tomatoes and sauce), dried basil, oregano and breadcrumbs. Cook 3-4 minutes or until water has evaporated. Stir in the parsley and Parmesan cheese. (The mixture should hold together easily.)
- Flip the zucchini over and fill each "trench" with even amounts of the filling.
Tomato Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3-4 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and tomato and cook another 2-3 minutes or until it softens.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up. Stir in the fresh basil and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Assembly
- Spoon 2/3 of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange the filled zucchini over the tomato sauce. Top the zucchini with even amounts of the remaining marinara and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until heated through and bubbling. Serve hot over pasta.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- This recipe also works with ground turkey, chicken, or pork.
- If you have a favorite jarred marinara you love, feel free to use that instead for this stuffed baked zucchini boat recipe to save time.
- Pour the water called for in the recipe into the cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce to rinse them out so nothing is wasted.
- Be careful not to remove too much pulp from the zucchini. You want a sturdy border to hold that delicious meaty filling.
- Sprinkle with the cheese, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Let sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, or place the baking dish into a cold oven. Bake as directed until hot, bubbling and the cheese is melted and heated through.
- If you’re planning to freeze this dish, get it prepped to the point of baking. Cool it down completely, then wrap securely and freeze up to three months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 346IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 3mg