Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats

These Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats are the perfect meal when you're in the mood for something light and delicious. Warm zucchini is stuffed with juicy ground turkey, flavorful pasta sauce, and fluffy couscous.

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Stuffed zucchini goodness

Have you ever remembered a meal you enjoyed years ago and suddenly started craving it? 😂 Please tell me I'm not the only one!

Almost four years ago, I ate a SunBasket meal that inspired me to make these Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats. I loved the idea of stuffing a vegetable with my favorite fillings. It's a great way to enjoy the flavors and foods you love as a lower carb meal and also sneak in more veggies!

I stuffed my zucchini boats with juicy ground turkey, tomato sauce, and Trader Joe's couscous. If you haven't had the couscous, you need to buy it immediately. I personally think it's the best in the market.

After stuffing, I topped my Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats with shredded cheese and let it get all melty. The whole meal felt like a gourmet Bolognese. It's so good!

Grab these ingredients

Zucchini: I used 3 large zucchinis. They are so easy to slice and hollow out.

Salt + Pepper: We'll use these to flavor these boats how we like them.

Couscous: Again, I highly recommend the Trader Joe's brand!

Cooking Spray/Oil: To help keep our ingredients from sticking and burning.

Ground Turkey: I used 93 lean/7 fat for this recipe. The extra fat makes this dish SHINE!

Onion: I used a red one, but you can use whatever kind you like.

Basil: I used dried basil.

Pasta Sauce: Use what you like. I used Mid’s Garlic and Onion.

Shredded Cheese: I used an Italian blend with parmesan, asiago, and also mozzarella.

Tools you'll need for this recipe

Warning you now, this is NOT a one pot recipe! 😂 But before you come at me, there are PLENTY of one pot recipes on my blog. I promise.

To make these Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats, you'll need a chef’s knife, cutting board, skillet, spoon, meat masher, measuring cups and spoons. You'll also need an oven safe dish.

How to make Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats

1. Let’s start by preparing the zucchini. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Halve the zucchinis long ways and carefully remove the insides with a spoon. Then, spray the zucchini halves with cooking oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes. You can save the insides for another recipe or freeze and sneak into smoothies!
2. Next, prepare the couscous according to the box instructions.
3. While the couscous cooks, let's work on the ground turkey. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Add ground turkey, diced red onion, and also the dried basil. 
4. Sauté ground turkey until fully cooked, breaking up into smaller chunks with a meat masher it cooks. At this point, the couscous should be done. Add it to the cooked meat. 
5. Then, pour pasta sauce into the skillet and mix.
6. Using a spoon, add the meat mixture into each zucchini boat.
7. Top the boats with shredded cheese and put them back into the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted to your liking. 
8. Serve & enjoy! 😊

You can also watch the Italian Turkey Zucchini Boats Web Story here.

Suggestions and Questions for Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats

What's the best way to store these Zucchini Turkey Boats?
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. These reheat well in the microwave. Use 30-60 second intervals.

Do you have any tips for success?
If you have a melon baller, use it to scoop out the zucchini. If not, a spoon will also work. I recommend taking a sharp knife and tracing around the edges of where you plan to scoop to make the scooping easier. Zucchini is VERY delicate, so scoop gently. I broke a few of my boats when making them for the first time. Also, if your boats don’t all fit in one baking dish, use two instead of stacking them.

Could I serve the meat sauce with a different vegetable besides zucchini?
Sure! I think spaghetti squash (click here for my tips on how to cook this), cauliflower rice, or even summer squash would all work. You could also try bell peppers or a small eggplant.

I don't like turkey. What other meats do you suggest?
Ground beef or chicken. To make these vegetarian, you could use chickpeas, white beans, or Impossible meat.

Is there anything I should watch out for?
For more al dente zucchini, bake at the time suggested above. If you want the zucchini to be a little softer, cook it for a little longer. Be sure to watch it so nothing burns!

Do these zucchini boats freeze well?
I do not recommend freezing them. Zucchini have high water content, which will make them soggy when thawed. You can however freeze the filling for up to two months!

Do I need to use couscous, or would another grain work?
Orzo would work great because it has a similar texture. You can also try quinoa or Right Rice if you’re gluten-free.

More recipes you might like:

Zesty Turkey Meatballs

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Skinny Turkey Enchiladas

Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

Check out this post for more delicious recipes using ground turkey!

Print

Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Prep30 mins

Cook10 mins

Total40 mins

Servings3

1x2x3x

These Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats are the perfect meal when you're in the mood for something light and delicious. Warm zucchini is stuffed with juicy ground turkey, flavorful pasta sauce, and fluffy couscous.

Author: Courtney Paige

Equipment

• Chef's Knife
• Cutting Board
• skillet
• Spoon
• Meat masher
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Oven safe dish

Ingredients

• 3 large zucchinis
• salt + pepper
• ⅔ cup cooked couscous
• cooking spray or oil
• 1 lb 93/7 ground turkey
• ¼ red onion, diced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 16 oz pasta sauce of choice
• ½ cup Italian blend cheese

Instructions

• Let’s start by preparing the zucchini. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Halve the zucchinis long ways and carefully remove the insides with a spoon. Then, spray the zucchini halves with cooking oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes. You can save the insides for another recipe or freeze and sneak into smoothies!
• Next, prepare the couscous according to the box instructions.
• While the couscous cooks, let's work on the ground turkey. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Add ground turkey, diced red onion, and also the dried basil.
• Sauté ground turkey until fully cooked, breaking up into smaller chunks with a meat masher it cooks. At this point, the couscous should be done. Add it to the cooked meat.
• Then, pour pasta sauce into the skillet and mix.
• Using a spoon, add the meat mixture into each zucchini boat.
• Top the boats with shredded cheese and put them back into the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted to your liking.
• Serve & enjoy! 😊

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. These reheat well in the microwave. Use 30-60 second intervals.

Zucchini is VERY delicate, so scoop gently. I broke a few of my boats when making them for the first time. Also, if your boats don’t all fit in one baking dish, use two instead of stacking them.

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved, something that you think it might need, or just say hi!

Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?

If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find Turkey Zucchini Boats

1 serving (2 stuffed zucchini boats): 27 grams Carbs | 17 grams Fat | 41 grams Protein

NOTE: the nutrition label to the right is auto-generated and often does not include specific brands or types of ingredients. Example: fat free milk vs. whole milk, chicken breast vs. chicken thigh, etc.

**Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.

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