hile you can serve single stuffed zucchini boats as an appetizer, you can also serve them as a main dish. However, my favorite way to utilize stuffed zucchini boats is to serve them along with some pasta and marinara sauce. Because marinara sauce is meatless, you have the meat and veggies covered with this stuffed sensation! It’s so easy to make. Be sure to read the Tips sections for a variation.
You can make stuffed zucchini boats, but this is the easiest way I know and it still produces an amazing dish. You can add wine to the sauce, or use jarred.
Ingredients:
- 4 zucchini, rinsed (leave ends on)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef or bison
- 1/2 cup gluten free marinara or spaghetti sauce (I use Red Pasta Sauce Without Tomatoes), (or see Variations below)
- 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- Freshly shredded/grated Parmesan cheese (or Kraft shaker) (or Daiya for dairy-free)
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add whole zucchinis to a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, depending upon their size.
- While the zucchini cook, add the ground beef to a large skillet and break it up while browning over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Darin away any grease and set aside.
- Transfer cooked zucchini to a strainer and allow to cool long enough to easily handle.
- Slice each zucchini lengthwise and scoop out center, using an inverted tablespoon. Set the flesh aside; and set the zucchini boats on a baking sheet.
- Optionally, you can stir the zucchini that you removed with the ground beef.
- Spoon the ground beef into each zucchini boat and spoon a little sauce over the tops; and sprinkle them with cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Serve immediately.
Tips
Variation:
You can make a sauce right in the browned beef by adding about 1 cup chopped yellow onion and sauteing it until tender, about 5 - 8 minutes. Add 1 - 2 minced garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds. Add about 1/2 cup of gluten free beef broth, or half broth and half wine (red or white). Add your favorite Italian seasonings (a mix or individual ones such as basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary. Either reduce the sauce until it is thick (low boil) or add a slurry of starch (corn, potato, or arrowroot) with water. Bring to a boil and stir until thick.
*******Allergens vary depending upon the sauce or if using the variation sauce, the brand of broth you use.*******
If you plan to slice these boats in small pieces to serve as appetizers, be sure to add an egg into the meat mixture before scooping into the zucchini boats. The egg helps keep it all together and prevents the filling from falling out.
Love your recipes and have used them in our household with celiac disease and other allergies for a few years now. You are my go to website! BUT, finding the new website layout VERY DIFFICULT to navigate, Ads are popping over page and cannot find the general index of recipes I loved so much. HELP, please!
Hi Darlene,
I had some technical issues where pages were turning up blank often. I had to redo the entire site. While, it is not done, you can still find everything you used to find by clicking on the three white bars in the left column. You can scroll down until you find what you are looking for. However, here is the direct link to the recipe index – http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-recipes/.
Others have reported that they prefer the new site because it is clean and less busy. I obviously can’t please everyone!
If you cannot click on a recipe, please email me the title and I will send you the link, for now.
Carla
Carla
Love to see more of your recipes just been diagoosed gluten intolerant