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Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

January 23, 2025

These easy cheesy lasagna stuffed zucchini boats are much healthier than their carby counterparts and come together easily, making them perfect for dinner any night of the week.

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lasagna stuffed zucchini boats in a baking dish sprinkled with Parmesan, parsley and red pepper flakes
Photography by Gayle McLeod

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini

When you’re craving comfort food, but don’t want to overload on carbs, lasagna-stuffed zucchini recipe is a perfect healthy treat. Although this recipe is called lasagna-stuffed zucchini, we don’t mean that you should stuff hollowed-out zucchini with slices of lasagna. Rather, we mean that we’ve taken inspiration from Classic Lasagna filling flavors—all that cheesy, tomato sauce-y goodness—and applied it to this much healthier stuffed zucchini recipe. Basically take everything you love about classic lasagna, and take away the pasta noodles (bye, bye carbs) and pop everything that’s left into a hollowed out (big!) zucchini. Hunting for more ways to use up an end-of-summer zucchini bounty? Our 20 Best Zucchini Recipes surely has something for you!

zucchini, ground chicken, bell pepper, spices, marinara, ricotta, spinach, egg, parsley, mozzarella and Parm in prep bowls

Lasagna Zucchini Boat Ingredients

  • Zucchini: Zucchini boats are the perfect use for those honking huge, late summer zucchini. Those huge, honking, borderline-scary zucchini lurking in the garden? This recipe exists to use those over-achieving veggies up. We call these zucchini “boats” because they are made by halving the zucchini lengthwise, carefully scooping out all of the seeds, and then filling the concave area that results—the “boat”—full of rich, savory goodness.

  • Cheese: Three kinds of cheese, please — after all, lasagna inspired this zucchini recipe, and lasagna is all about the cheese! For these zucchini boats, we use Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella and creamy ricotta.

  • Chicken: Though lasagna is often made with beef, we went with healthier ground chicken for these lasagna zucchini boats. You could leave it out or use a veggie sausage product in its place, if you want to make these vegetarian. Or, just try making our delicious Vegetable Lasagna instead.

  • Veggies! Spinach & bell pepper — additional veggies! This recipe really is super, super healthy (and cheesy, too!)

  • Marinara sauce: IN A JAR. Easy, cheesy, healthy — check, check, check. That’s what we were going for with this recipe.

  • Herbs & spices: Parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

  • Egg: To hold the lasagna filling together, it’s kind of a must.

ground chicken, bell pepper, and garlic being cooked in olive oil in a skillet
marinara sauce added to a skillet with cooked ground chicken, bell pepper, and garlic
ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic powder, egg,  parsley, salt, and pepper combined in a glass bowl
4 zucchinis sliced in half with the inside scooped out in a parchment lined baking dish

How To Make Lasagna Zucchini Boats

  1. Scoop out the zucchini. A good, sturdy serving spoon will work well for this job. Or even an ice cream scoop!

  2. Make the lasagna filling! Sauté the chicken, bell pepper, and garlic. Add some marinara sauce. Simmer for a few minutes. Mix together the combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic powder, egg, 1 tablespoon of parsley, salt, and pepper.

  3. Layer the lasagna filling into the zucchini boats: the ground meat mixture first, cheese and spinach mixture second.

  4. Top with mozzarella, more marinara sauce and a dusting of Parm.

  5. Place in a parchment lined baking dish, cover with foil and bake!

  6. Uncover and bake a little more.

  7. Dig in!

zucchini boats filled with ground chicken, marinara and a ricotta filling in a parchment lined baking dish
lasagna stuffed zucchini goats in a parchment lined baking dish sprinkled with mozzarella cheese
lasagna stuffed zucchini boats in a parchment lined baking dish sprinkled with mozzarella and topped with extra marinara
lasagna stuffed zucchini boats made with ground chicken, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan

Do Zucchini Boats Reheat Well?

Yes, they do! We speak from experience when we say that as long as you don’t bake the zucchini boats too long the first time around, they stay sturdy enough to have for lunch the next day, which is actually one of our favorite things about them. The filling makes enough to fill four zucchini, cut down the center. While baking, take the zucchini boats out while they still have a bite to them. Then, the next day we reheat whatever is left in the oven to achieve a top with bubbly, crispy cheese. But, if you’re in a real hurry, a quick zap in the microwave does the trick for equally delicious results.

lasagna stuffed zucchini boats in a baking dish sprinkled with Parmesan, parsley and red pepper flakes
lasagna stuffed zucchini boats in a baking dish sprinkled with Parmesan, parsley and red pepper flakes

Whatever Floats Your (Zucchini) Boat!

For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  30 min
  • Cook Time:  40 min
  • Calories:  515

Ingredients

  • 4 medium zucchinis, halved lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
  • 8 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 ½ cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • Red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° F with a rack in the center position. Line a large baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

    zucchini, ground chicken, bell pepper, spices, marinara, ricotta, spinach, egg, parsley, mozzarella and Parm in prep bowls
  2. Using a small spoon, scoop out the flesh of the zucchini, leaving a ⅓-inch thickness around the edges. Place them cut side up in the prepared baking dish.

    4 zucchinis sliced in half with the inside scooped out in a parchment lined baking dish
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the chicken, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon until it’s cooked through and there is no longer any liquid in the skillet, about 10 minutes.

    ground chicken, bell pepper, and garlic being cooked in olive oil in a skillet
  4. Stir in 2¼ cups of the marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

    marinara sauce added to a skillet with cooked ground chicken, bell pepper, and garlic
  5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic powder, egg, 1 tablespoon of parsley, salt, and pepper.

    ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic powder, egg,  parsley, salt, and pepper combined in a glass bowl
  6. Fill each zucchini boat with equal amounts of the chicken mixture. Dollop the ricotta mixture on top of the chicken. Sprinkle all over with half of the mozzarella. Pour the remaining marinara over the zucchini boats and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

    zucchini boats filled with ground chicken, marinara and a ricotta filling in a parchment lined baking dish
  7. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Discard the foil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Return the dish to the oven and bake until the cheese is lightly browned and melted and zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes more.

    lasagna stuffed zucchini boats made with ground chicken, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan
  8. Serve warm, sprinkled with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and red pepper flakes if using.

    lasagna stuffed zucchini boats in a baking dish sprinkled with Parm, parsley and red pepper flakes

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 515
  • Protein 41 g
  • Carbohydrates 21 g
  • Total Fat 30 g
  • Dietary Fiber 5 g
  • Cholesterol 176 mg
  • sodium 687 mg
  • Total Sugars 7 g

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Questions & Reviews

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  • Mallory

    Hi! in one of then pictures it looks like the ricotta mixture was layered first can I do it that way? Ricotta then meat then sauce then mozzarella?

    Sure! Should work fine either way. Hope you enjoy Mallory!

  • Barbara

    Could you use Italian sausage or would it be too greasy.

    You could but we would definitely drain it before adding anything else in with it.

  • Robin

    Love your zucchini boats! In the photo it looks as if you dolloped some pesto over the top….is that the case?

    Yes, Robin! Totally optional.

  • Susan

    Do you have a favorite recipe using the scooped out zucchini?

    Hi Susan, you could sauté it with some olive oil and garlic or use it for our zucchini creamy pasta.

  • Frank

    do you think I could sub ground turkey . thanks for this great recipe

    You definitely could!

  • Tammy

    I made this with ground beef and we loved it. Thank you

    THanks Tammy, so happy you enjoyed it!

  • Tammy

    I made this with ground beef and we loved it. Thank you!

    So glad! Thanks Tammy!

  • Hollie

    I've been having to watch my glucose levels recently and eagerly tried this recipe as an alternative to our usual carb-y lasagna. I used sweet Italian sausage instead of ground chicken, which was delish. My skeptical husband even enjoyed it, so it's now become part of our meal rotation.

    Thanks Hollie! We are so glad you both loved it!

  • Josh

    Delicious! I substituted cottage cheese for ricotta (I like it better) and used preshredded mozz. We really really really enjoyed this meal and will make it again.

    Thank you Josh, so glad you enjoyed it!

  • Kaykay

    This was delicious! We loved it. Very easy to prepare "lasagna" with a pasta-free twist. I used my own homemade sauce which already had ground beef in it, but it still tasted great. Thanks for the recipe!

    Thanks Kay, we are so glad you loved this!