Tacos are essential for my family. They're easy to make on a busy weeknight and can last a few nights with changing up how they're served. Of course, the classic tortilla is a fan favorite, but making these zucchini taco boats is a fun, healthier, low carb way to eat tacos too! This is a super easy and healthy taco stuffed zucchini boats recipe, and with a foolproof avocado crema on top, you won't even miss the tortillas or shells. Trust me!
Mexican food is just so flavorful, like my pantry friendly chicken enchiladas or my infamous four layer taco dip (yes, served cold), you can't go wrong. I had to add a taco recipe to round it out, and what better way to do so than making this a healthier version.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this recipe
- What are the ingredients needed to make taco stuffed zucchini boats?
- How do you make these zucchini boats?
- Swaps and Subs
- How do I prep this recipe ahead of time?
- Tips for Making the Best Zucchini Taco Boats
- Storage and Freezer Information
- Hungry for more?
- Easy Healthy Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe
Why you'll love this recipe
- This zucchini taco boat recipe has minimal ingredients and comes together in under 45 minutes.
- Naturally low carb, zucchini replaces the tortilla making this a health-conscious recipe for those looking for healthier recipes.
- Recipes like tacos are easy assemble and prep ahead of time, then bake when you're ready to eat.
What are the ingredients needed to make taco stuffed zucchini boats?
- Ground Beef - I like to stick to grass-fed beef whenever I can help it. It has a richer, heartier taste. You can definitely find grass fed ground beef in most grocery stores.
- Zucchini - the green squash, not the yellow!
- Taco Seasoning - any type of taco seasoning will be perfect. We use just one tablespoon.
- Black Beans - black beans are essential for Mexican cooking and add great protein.
- Mexican Cheese - A typical Mexican cheese blend is essential for these taco zucchini boats,
- Salsa - I like to use a standard salsa like Pace to drizzle on top.
There is also an option to make an avocado crema to go on top of the zucchini boats. For this you'll need:
- Avocado - all we need is just one half of an avocado.
- Sour Cream - the more fat, the better!
- Salt - helps to balance the fat and acidity from the lime,
- Lime Juice - no need for fresh lime juice, but you can absolutely opt for that too.
See the recipe card below for specific information about quantities.
How do you make these zucchini boats?
Step 1: In a medium frying pan, brown the ground beef, and add in the taco seasoning. Using a wooden spoon, start to combine until all the ground beef has been seasoned, then turn off the heat and set aside.
Step 2: Slice off the top of the zucchini and slice them in half.
Step 3: Using a small spoon, scoop out the flesh of the inside of the zucchini, leave just a little amount in the middle for the ground meat to go, so it forms a "boat"
Step 4: To the zucchini boats, fill with two scoops of ground beef.
Step 5: Top the ground beef with a spoonful of salsa.
Step 6: Add a spoonful of black beans, then a sprinkling of Mexican cheese. Bake in the oven at 375º for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese melts.
For the crema: Add the avocado, sour cream, salt, and lime juice and blend until smooth.
HINT: When scooping the inside of the zucchini, be sure to leave it a little thicker so that it doesn't fall apart when baking. Zucchini is predominately made of water, and will get very soggy quickly.
Swaps and Subs
- Protein - Although this is made with ground beef, I've made it before with ground lamb and ground turkey. You could also use ground chicken, chorizo, sausage, or a plant-based protein.
- Toppings - Skip the crema and go for dollops of traditional sour cream, greek yogurt, or a drizzle of hot sauce or queso.
- Fillings - You can add in corn, tomatillo sauce rather than salsa, bell peppers, and more.
How do I prep this recipe ahead of time?
The best way to prep this ahead of time is brown the ground beef or protein of choice and set is aside. Then, core the zucchini and add to a ziplock or an airtight sealed container. Open up all the containers, jars or bags of ingredients and measure them out so that when you want to make this recipe, everything is ready at your fingertips.
Tips for Making the Best Zucchini Taco Boats
- Be sure to leave some flesh on the inside of the zucchini so that they do not get soggy when they bake.
- Add some liquid to the ground beef if you feel that the meat itself is a little too lean. Very lean meat doesn't yield any juices when it cooks of browns, adding a touch of water will help the taco meat become thick and flavorful.
- If your pan tends to keep the meat sticking to the pan, spray a little nonstick spray to loosen up the meat as it cooks and browns.
- When baking, you can tent the baking dish with aluminum foil to prevent overcooking and drying out the taco filling. This is entirely optional!
Storage and Freezer Information
To Store: Place any leftover zucchini boats in an airtight container and store in the fridge. The leftovers can be consumed for up to three days.
To Reheat: I would not recommend reheating in the microwave as, in my experience, it will dry out the zucchini and ingredients in the boat themselves. Your best bet is to bake them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for 15-20 minutes. I would also add a little extra cheese on top to freshly melt on top of them.
To Freeze: Zucchini, as I mentioned earlier, is comprised mostly of water. When freezing, they will likely lose their crunch and become watery and soggy. This blog explains the do's and don't for freezing zucchini! You could blanch the zucchini (which means cook the zucchini for 2-3 minutes in boiling water and then remove), but as the blog linked above states, it sometimes doesn't really matter.
Hungry for more?
Check out these other yummy, easy to prep and make recipes!
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Easy Healthy Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe
Equipment
- baking dish
- cutting board
- frying pan
- serving spoon
- food processor for crema (optional)
Ingredients
For the Zucchini Boats
- 3 medium Zucchini sliced in half then hollowed
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ cup black beans
- ¼ cup salsa
- ½ cup mexican cheese
- ½ cup avocado crema
For the Avocado Crema
- ½ large avocado
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
For the Zucchini Boats
- In a medium frying pan, brown the ground beef, and add in the taco seasoning. Using a wooden spoon, start to combine until all the ground beef has been seasoned, then turn off the heat and set aside.
- Slice off the top of the zucchini and slice them in half.
- Using a small spoon, scoop out the flesh of the inside of the zucchini, leave just a little amount in the middle for the ground meat to go, so it forms a "boat"
- To the zucchini boats, fill with two scoops of ground beef.
- Top the ground beef with a spoonful of salsa.
- Add a spoonful of black beans, then a sprinkling of Mexican cheese. Bake in the oven at 375º for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese melts.
For the Avocado Crema
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Add any additional lime juice or salt as needed or desired.
Sha Peace says
I will definitely be making this for Cinco de Mayo
Morgan Peaceman says
you will love it!!!