Our Low Carb Keto Stuffed Zucchini Boats are filled with a meat sauce that’s blended with Italian spices, marinara sauce, Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, and then roasted to perfection. Ten minutes prep, 20 minutes stovetop, 20 minutes bake. Best of all, they taste absolutely delicious! They’re filling, nutritious, and make for a gorgeous presentation on your dinner table .
Thank goodness zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables, because our garden here in Atlanta is overflowing with them. This recipe combines the freshness of summer flavors with a hearty Italian meat sauce, oozing with melted cheeses.
Roasting at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time produces a creamy meat filling and a zucchini with a soft crunch. We don’t like (maybe we hate) soggy zucchini, so we do a couple of things to prevent that from occurring. We place a baking/cooling rack on the top of our regular baking sheet to elevate the zucchini boats. That way, the heat from the oven can travel all the way around the zucchini to roast the backside. We also brush the bottom of the zucchini with olive oil before filling to give the skin a nice crispy crunch.
Start with 5 fresh zucchini – firm and dark green. The best size for this recipe is about 8 inches in length – a little more, a little less works just fine. After a quick rinse, cut off the stem ends and cut each in half lengthwise. We find a large chef’s knife works great for this task. Using room temperature zucchini, take a spoon and scoop out the seeds and much of the flesh, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch flesh on the skin.
For the sauce, we start by sautéing onions (we typically use green) in olive oil for a few minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute – just a quick flash in the pan so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add ground beef, or whatever ground meat you prefer and cook until it’s browned. Make sure you drain the excess oil from the browned meat so your filling isn’t too greasy. We use a no sugar added marinara sauce (we love Rao’s Homemade) because it’s delicious, and because it means one less thing for us to cook. The seasonings are simple – a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and a teaspoon of salt and pepper.
The secret to our meat sauce is the addition of two cheeses, Parmesan and cheddar, added while the meat mixture is still warm. We freshly grate our cheeses and use sharp cheddar, but if you’re looking for ways to save time, the packaged shredded cheeses work great too. Substitute your favorite cheese as you palate prefers.
Add the meat mixture evenly into the 10 zucchini boats and top with additional cheese. Place them on the elevated baking rack and into a 425 degree F oven (middle rack). 20 minutes later, remove from the oven, letting them cool for a few minutes before serving. If you’re looking for more recipes that use zucchini, try our Sautéed Zucchini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil, our Divine Low Carb Zucchini Parmesan Casserole, or our Low Carb Parmesan Zucchini Fries.
Low Carb Keto Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Stuffed with Italian meat sauce, Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, our Stuffed Zucchini Boats are oven-roasted to perfection Рa flavorful and cheesy interior, and a soft crunch on the outside. A keto/low carb entr̩e that's easy to make, and a healthy alternative to pasta.
- 5 medium zucchini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups marinara sauce (no sugar added)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- â…” cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese (shredded )
- 2 tbsp chopped chives (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place baking rack on top.
Wash the zucchini and trim off ends. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrap out the seeds and flesh to form a pocket for the filling, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch flesh remaining. Dry the skin side of each zucchini with paper towels and brush with small amount of olive oil.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking 1 minute.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add ground beef and cook until browned (8-10 minutes). Drain off excess fat. Reduce heat to medium; stir in marinara sauce and seasonings. Simmer until heated throughout, about 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add ⅔ cup shredded Parmesan cheese and 1 cup cheddar cheese, reserving ½ cup of the cheddar for topping. Mix until combined.
Divide meat mixture evenly into zucchini boats. Top with additional cheddar cheese.
Bake on center rack of a 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before enjoying. Top with chopped chives or basil.
Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat in a 425 degree F oven on middle rack for 20 minutes. Tent with aluminum foil to prevent cheese from over-browning.Â
If you prefer a soft bake throughout, bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 40 minutes.Â
Due to its high water content, zucchini doesn’t freeze well, but you can save time by doubling the meat mixture and freezing for later use.Â
One serving equals 2 zucchini boats.
Oh, these look so good!!
Hi, Leslie! I can vouch for the taste, too! Thanks for your kind comments and I hope you visit us again.
I made these last night and my husband and I loved them! Tonight I am making the pecan chicken breast with spinach 🙂 Thank you for you delicious recipes.
Hi, Lisa! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the zucchini boats! The leftovers taste just as great when you reheat them. Let me know how the pecan chicken breasts and the spinach are received. I have to give Amy the credit for the creamed spinach – I can just about promise that you’ll make it as often as we do. Thanks for visiting us, and for your kind comments.
Great flavor and very healthy and filling. Thank you for another healthy recipe that the whole family enjoyed! I will be making this one again for sure.
Thank you,Jamie. Happy to hear you enjoyed our Zucchini Boats!
These are delicious. I combined your Stuffed Pepper recipe with this. I only had two peppers, so made them and used the leftover meat sauce in these. Delicious!! You’ve become my go to place for recipes. Not a week goes by where I’m not making one of your delicious recipes. Thank you!!
Thank you, Cathy! Cool that you combined the two recipes together, and thank you for your loyalty to our site! I’m happy to hear you find our recipes delicious!
This was my first time making these zucchini boats and they turned out great.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with the keto community. Yumm.
Thank you, Jeanne! Your comments put a smile on my face. If you like our zucchini boats, you may want to try our Italian Stuffed Peppers recipe. Thank you for visiting myketohome.com and have a great week!
My husband is a big carb lover so when he raves about a recipe that doesn’t have pasta or rice it it I know it’s a hit! Very quick to put together and tasty. I had enough left over to pack for his lunch the next day. We have a bunch of spaghetti squash that we grew so will also try using that instead with the filling next time!