This Mexican vegetarian stuffed zucchini boat recipe is the perfect low carb meal or side dish. This recipe is vegan, paleo, Whole30, grain free, gluten free and easy to make.
I discovered how much I loved stuffed zucchini boats when I made mushroom walnut stuffed zucchini earlier this summer. That stuffed zucchini boat recipe tastes just like pizza and it is 100% worth making! So make sure you buy some extra zucchini so you can make both of these recipes!
I don’t know what it is but it’s so fun to eat stuffed zucchini and I bet it would be a great way to get picky eaters to try a green vegetable, since they cut into fun shapes! A great way to get picky eaters to try new foods is to get them involved in making the dish! You can have your little helpers help you scrape out the seeds from the center of the zucchini to get them involved!
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How do you make stuffed zucchini boats
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- Start with medium to large zucchini.
- Cut the zucchini in half long wise to make two long halves.
- Use the back of a spoon to remove the seeds from the center of the zucchini to make room for the stuffing.
- Place the zucchini halves on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or large rectangular ceramic baking dish.
- Bake the zucchini at 400F for 20 minutes while you make the stuffing so everything can be done at the same time
Meal prep tips for Mexican Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
You can make the stuffing for this Mexican vegetarian stuffed zucchini boat recipe ahead of time and you can freeze it for up to 3 months or store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
However, I wouldn’t suggest that you prepare the zucchini ahead of time. Since zucchini’s are mostly water, they do not freeze well. When you freeze zucchini and defrost them, they tend to get mushy and tend to lose their shape when defrosting.
If you want to make this dish in 3-4 minutes, you could reheat the Mexican vegetarian stuffing earlier in the week, and instead of zucchini boats, you could buy some frozen zucchini noodles or quickly spiralize zucchini and serve it with reheated stuffing.
Other Ways to Use Zucchini
- Chocolate zucchini muffins
- High protein chocolate zucchini donuts
- Greek zoodles
- Vegan pad thai
- Zucchini pizza crust
- Paleo Avocado Zucchini Hummus
- Healthy zucchini pancakes
- Whole30 Mediterrean Vegetable Soup
- Mint Chocolate Protein Shake
Mexican Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boat Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini
- 1/4 salt
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
Mexican Stuffing
- 16 oz packages mushrooms
- 1 jalepeno
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Slice the zucchini in half the long way, creating 2 long halves.
- Using a spoon, spoon out the seeds by running the spoon down the center, applying pressure to carve out the center area. This will leave a cavity to be filled with stuffing.
- Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp chili powder.. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.
- While the zucchini are baking, slice the mushrooms and add them to a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Cook the mushrooms 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't salt the mushrooms right away.
- After 4-5 minutes, add 1/2 tsp. salt and continue to cook until the mushrooms have released all of their water and have wilted down and started to brown.
- Add the rest of the ingredients of the Mexican stuffing to the mushrooms and cook over medium low heat until the liquid has cooked off (about 2-3 minutes)
- After 15 minutes, the zucchini should have softened in the oven. Remove them from the oven and divide the mushroom mixture between them.
- Return the stuffed zucchini to the oven for 5 additional minutes.
Nutrition
Suzanne
This is a brilliant idea! Instead of loading up on empty carbs for a tortilla, just use a zucchini boat! Love it and can’t wait to try.
Lauma
Looks sooo yammy! 🙂