Any excuse to stuff any kind of veggie with taco flavors and I’ll take it! Welcome to the taco loving party! Today, I present taco stuffed zucchini boats!!!!
Flavorful turkey taco filling with corn, olives, and salsa, and topped with cheese baked into these beautiful zucchini boats that are tender but still a little crunchy! You’re only 40 minutes away from one awesome dinner!
What I love about these taco stuffed zucchini boats is that they prove that you don’t have to eat a salad or a plate of veggies to add good quality vegetables to your meal.
Veggies happen in 5 ways:
- zucchini boat
- zucchini meat that we scoop out to make room for the stuffing – we save that and cook it with the turkey taco meat. You won’t even know it’s there.
- Onion in the taco meat. IMO taco meat is always better with a little sauteed onion
- canned olives and corn cooked into the taco meat
- top the taco stuffed zucchini boats with avocado slices. Optional, but when do we not want avocado?
Sneaky veggies in a fun and satisfying way. LOVE IT!!!
My second favorite thing about these taco stuffed zucchini boats is that you will have plenty of turkey taco meat leftover.
I mean, yes I could have cut the filling in half but leftovers are what keeps me from spending my entire life in the kitchen. True story.
That turkey taco meat is delicious too. Use it to stuff more zucchini boats. Or use it as filling for tacos or quesadillas. You could even freeze it for up to 6 months. So many options.
Can I be honest with you for a second? As I write this post I am starting to get hungry for lunch which makes it hard to concentrate on writing about food and staring at these yummy looking pictures. Food blogger problems lol! Also, it doesn’t help that I am having the last leftover taco stuffed zucchini boat for lunch. Mouth watering. Stomach grumbling. Can’t focus. Huuuungry!!!
That’s the other thing these, taco stuffed zucchini boats themselves (not talking about the filling) are great leftover. Heat them up in the microwave or oven and they are still as good as the day you made them.
People who don’t like leftovers… I just don’t get you.
Unless we are talking about leftover salad that’s been sitting in dressing getting all soggy and gross…then I get you.
BUT these hearty, beautiful taco stuffed zucchini boats = leftover perfection. THE END!
If you like taco inspired anything you will enjoy these taco stuffed zucchini boats. They are hearty, with all the best taco flavors, a little cheesy, packed with veggies, and crunchy from the zucchini boat. A balanced meal all in one, my fave!
BTW I have instructions in the notes of the recipe how to make these taco stuffed zucchini boats in advance, pop them in the fridge and then bake them when you’re ready. We are rocking the leftover/make ahead game with this recipe.
Now, excuse me while I go devour the last of these taco stuffed zucchini boats, topped with extra avocado.
Are you hungry yet?
Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 8 zucchini boats 1x
- Category: Entree, Chicken, Red Meat
- Cuisine: Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Description
Taco stuffed zucchini boats have all the taco flavors stuffed into a zucchini. This balanced, veggie packed meal is perfect for a weeknight or a make-ahead dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized zucchinis, washed and dried
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- salt
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (or such lean ground chicken or beef)
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (gluten free)* (See notes)
- salt to taste (omit if your taco seasoning has salt in it)
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives, drained
- 1/2 cup caned corn, drained (only ingredients should be water, corn and maybe salt – no sugar)
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Optional toppings
- cotija cheese
- cilantro leaves
- lime wedges
- sliced avocado
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Trim the ends off each zucchini. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the a portion of the zucchini “seeds” and flesh making room for the stuffing (see photo in post). Save the scooped out zucchini flesh, do not throw it away!.
- Bake Zucchinis: Brush the cut side of each zucchini with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place cut side down in a baking dish (you may need to use more than one depending on how big your zucchinis are). Bake for 10 minutes or 15 minutes if you want them to be more tender. Remove the zucchini and allow them to cool enough to handle. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook the filling: While the zucchini is in the oven allow a large skillet to heat over medium heat. Place the reserved zucchini meat into a clean tea towel or cheese cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Give it a rough chop and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the hot pan add the ground turkey. Crumble the ground turkey and cook until it’s mostly browned (about 3 minutes). Add in the onion and zucchini meat cook another 3 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the taco seasoning (and salt if not already in seasoning), and cook for another minute until spices are fragrant. NOTE: if taco seasoning instructions say to add water than add water at this time. If using homemade taco seasoning (see notes) mix 2 teaspoons water with 2 teaspoons corn starch and add slurry to ground turkey – allow to thicken for 1 minute. Add the olives, corn, and salsa. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Assemble: Use a spoon to stuff each zucchini boat, you will have leftover filling (see notes). Top with shredded cheese and cover the baking dishes with foil.
- Bake zucchini boats:Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the filling is hot and the cheese has melted.
- Serve: Top with any or all desired toppings listed above and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week. They reheat nicely in the microwave or oven.
Notes
Dairy free: Omit shredded cheese and cotija cheese if dairy free. It will still be delish!
Taco seasoning: I like to make my own taco seasoning and add the corn starch slurry in at the end (as stated in recipe). I lovethis taco seasoning recipe by Gimme Some Oven.
Leftover filling: You will have a good amount of leftover turkey meat filling, which is part of why I love this recipe. You have a few options: 1) save it for another batch of zucchini boats. 2) use it as filling for tacos and/or quesadillas. 3) freeze for up to 6 months.
Make ahead: You could easily make this entire recipe ahead of time, zucchinis stuffed and all – allow them to cool completely – cover them and pop them in the fridge. When ready to bake them bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes (a rough estimate – you will need to bake them longer because they have been i the fridge, just keep an eye on them).
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