Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

That Huge, Oversized Zucchini? That’s a Good Thing!

Zucchini has a way of taking over the garden and growing to a size that even the most devoted zucchini fan can feel intimidated by. Whether these giant zucchinis are coming out of your own garden or are hand-me-downs from a neighbor—one of our favorite perks of summer—we encourage you to see them as a gift, not a problem! Figuring out what to do with overgrown summer produce is kind of our favorite thing to do, and zucchini is surprisingly versatile. Obviously you can make and freeze zucchini bread, try our zucchini fritters (no really, try them!) but these chicken zucchini boats are something our families look forward to ever summer because they’re just so darn good. Scooped out into a “boat” the zucchini is loaded Italian-seasoned ground chicken, then topped with mozzarella and baked in a creamy tomato sauce to melty, meaty, Italian stuffed zucchini perfection.

Everything You’ll Need To Make These Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats

You’ve probably got the zucchini—people usually turn to zucchini boat recipes when they’ve got some big zucchini that they don’t know how to cook!—but what else goes in zucchini boats? Well, we’ve tried to keep this recipe pantry-focused and basic. Feel free to make a few swaps as needed, too. You could use ground turkey in place of the ground chicken if you’d like (or if it’s what you happen to have), and the fennel seeds and pepper flakes are both optional. For the kale, you could easily use any hearty green—absolutely any kind of kale will work, as will collards, or even mustard greens. Here’s what you’ll need to make these delicious stuffed zucchini boats:

• Zucchini

• Ground chicken

• Fresh garlic

• Herbs & spices: Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes

• Tomato paste

• Crushed tomatoes

• Heavy cream

• Parmesan cheese

• Mozzarella

• Kale

• Fresh basil

How to Make Zucchini Boats

Italian flavors inspired our simple stuffed zucchini recipe, and like all great rustic Italian recipes, this one couldn’t be simpler. Here’s how to make these easy stuffed zucchini boats:

1. Scoop out the zucchini to make zucchini boats! By scraping out the seedy part of the zucchini, you’ll remove a lot of the moisture that can sometimes make zucchini recipes soggy. A big metal spoon is a great tool for doing this, or even an ice cream scoop.

2. Cook the ground chicken. Sauté the ground chicken in olive oil with fresh garlic, salt and herbs until it’s cooked through. Put it in a bowl while you use the same skillet to make the tomato sauce the zucchini boats will bake in.

3. Make a quick & creamy Italian tomato sauce. Stir together tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. As soon as they’re fragrant, pour in the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for a minute, then stir in heavy cream, some parmesan cheese and kale.

4. Stuff the zucchini boats! Nestle the scooped-out zucchini boats. Load each boat with the Italian-seasoned ground chicken. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 10 minutes.

5. Cheese time! Top the chicken-stuffed zucchini boats with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake (uncovered this time) until the cheese is melty and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil and dig in!

Tools You’ll Need

• Large, oven-proof skillet. If it has a lid, even better! (but not a must)

• Metal spoon or ice cream scoop.

• Sharp knife

• Cutting board

More Zucchini Recipes To Try

• Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

• Mediterranean-Style Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki Dipping Sauce

• Creamy Zucchini Pasta

• Mom's Zucchini Bread Muffins

• Roasted Zucchini with Parmesan

Zucc-erific!

Try this super satisfying stuffed zucchini boat recipe recipe, and let us know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!