Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
These vegetarian zucchini boats are stuffed and baked with crumbled tofu, tomato sauce, and Italian-inspired spices. With only 8 healthy ingredients, this recipe is so easy to make and beyond delicious. Tastes like a lightened up pasta bake!
If you enjoy Italian flavours, you are going to absolutely love this zucchini boat recipe. It’s one of those dishes where I let out an audible “YUM” when I tasted it 😉
While many zucchini boats are stuffed with ground meat, this version uses crumbled tofu for a vegetarian or vegan alternative. Tofu is packed with protein and one of my favourite ground meat substitutes.
As a dietitian, I’m happy to share that zucchini is full of nutrition benefits. Stuffed zucchini is an awesome way to enjoy the vegetable, especially if you have an abundance of them to eat up.
This recipe reminded me of a baked pasta, but in a lighter vegetable-heavy format! I hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients Needed
All you need to make these stuffed zucchini boats are 8 simple ingredients:
- zucchini (choose medium-to large ones, that are a bit wider)
- tofu (firm or extra firm)
- tomato sauce (I used marinara)
- olive oil
- dried thyme
- dried oregano
- parmesan
- fresh basil
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Recipe Modifications (Including Vegan Option)
- If you’d like to make a vegan version of this recipe, simply swap the parmesan cheese for a vegan alternative. You can also omit the cheese altogether (although the taste it adds is lovely!), or swap it with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavour.
- If you eat meat, you can always swap the crumbled tofu with ground beef or turkey. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time to make sure your meat is cooked properly.
- Feel free to use any store-bought or homemade tomato sauce you like here. I personally used this marinara from Rao’s.
- Feel free to play around with the seasonings here – any Italian spices would work great. If there’s not garlic in your tomato sauce, you may also enjoy some garlic powder or minced garlic.
- Fresh basil is optional, but it tastes great (and looks pretty)!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Hollow Out Zucchini?
In order to make “boats” out of zucchini, you will need to hollow out some of the insides. Simply use a small spoon to scrape down lengthwise, removing the seedy part of the vegetable (see image below for how much to remove).
What To Do With Excess Zucchini
All that zucchini you scraped out? Don’t let it go to waste! You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze it.
Use the leftovers in smoothies (it has a very neutral flavour and adds thickness and nutrients). Or you can use it in a zucchini soup, zucchini pesto, or zucchini oatmeal!
Do You Eat The Skin Of Zucchini Boats
Yes! The only part of the zucchini that you need to remove are the hard ends. The skin becomes nice and soft once it’s baked in the oven – you won’t even notice it. Plus, the skin is often full of the nutrients!
What To Serve With Zucchini Boats
These zucchini boats can be served on their own as a light meal. I’d recommend having two “boats” per person.
That said, if you’re looking for something more substantial, you can totally serve them as a side dish. They’d go great with another protein source (like grilled chicken) and some whole grains (like brown rice, quinoa, or farro).
Are Zucchini Boats Healthy?
Depending on what you put in them, you bet! This particular zucchini boat recipe is filled with nutritious ingredients, like protein-rich tofu, a simple tomato sauce, olive oil (a healthy fat) and spices and herbs.
Zucchini itself is full of nutrition benefits, too. I’ve outlined them for you below!
Zucchini Nutrition Benefits
Zucchini is rich in many micronutrients, like:
- vitamin A
- vitamin C
- vitamin K
- vitamin B6
- folate
- manganese
- magnesium
- potassium
- copper
This summer squash is also a great source of dietary fibre, with one medium zucchini providing 2 grams or 8% of your daily fibre needs.
Like other fruits and veggies, zucchini is also a great source of antioxidants, especially carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin.
More Easy Zucchini Recipes
- Raw Zucchini Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
- Zucchini Stir Fry With Tofu
- Creamy Zucchini Pesto (Vegan)
- Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese & Honey
- Zucchini Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal
Did you give this Vegetarian Zucchini Boats Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchinis (aim for thicker ones, if possible)
- 1 pack tofu, firm or extra firm
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 1 cup tomato sauce (I used marinara)
- 1/2 tsp thyme, dried
- 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
- 1/2 cup parmesan (freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, if possible)
- Salt + pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil, to garnish (about 5-7 large leaves)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Remove tough ends off zucchini and cut in half, lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape/hollow out the seedy part of each zucchini half to make a "boat."
- Place zucchini boats on baking sheet. Brush each half with olive oil and set aside.
- Drain tofu and press out excess liquid with a paper towel. Using your hands, crumble tofu into a bowl. The crumbled tofu is meant to resemble ground meat.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium. Add crumbled tofu, thyme, and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
- Add tomato sauce to the pan. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt + pepper.
- Remove tofu-tomato mixture from heat. Carefully spoon the mixture into the zucchini halves, dividing evenly.
- Sprinkle parmesan overtop of the zucchini. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes. The cheese should be melted, slightly browned, and the zucchini should be fork-tender.
- Garnish with fresh basil, black pepper, and serve hot!
Notes
- If you’d like to make a vegan/dairy-free version of this recipe, simply swap the parmesan cheese for a vegan alternative. You can also omit the cheese altogether (although the taste it adds is lovely!), or swap it with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavour.
- If you eat meat, you can always swap the crumbled tofu with ground beef or turkey. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time to make sure your meat is cooked properly.
- Feel free to use any store-bought or homemade tomato sauce you like here. I personally used this marinara from Rao’s.
- Feel free to play around with the seasonings here – any Italian spices would work great. If there’s not garlic in your tomato sauce, you may also enjoy some garlic powder or minced garlic.
- Fresh basil is optional, but it tastes great (and looks pretty)!
- Use the leftovers in smoothies (it has a very neutral flavour and adds thickness and nutrients). Or you can use it in a zucchini soup, zucchini pesto, or zucchini oatmeal!
Nutrition
As a dietitian, I create recipes with whole food ingredients that provide the nutrients needed for optimal health. My nutrition philosophy does not focus on numbers; however, I understand that this information can be helpful.
Do note that the nutrition info provided is an estimate and I cannot guarantee correctness of the displayed values. These numbers will differ depending on brands used, recipe modifications, and amount eaten. If you require specific nutrition information due to medical reasons, please consult with your dietitian or physician.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
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12 Comments on “Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats”
Just made this tonight and it was so simple and so delicious! Packed with so many healthy yummy ingredients, we loved it! My hubby isn’t a fan of tofu so I used 1/2 tofu and 1/2 lean ground turkey. He had no idea there was any tofu in it at all – next time I’ll just use tofu without the turkey! This will be a regular meal for us now, very quick and easy on a week night! Thanks Carrie for another amazing recipe!
So happy to hear that both you and your husband enjoyed this one, Rita! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so glad the ground turkey worked well here, but yes tofu is surprisingly such a great alternative! I love using it in place of ground meat. You may also enjoy this tofu tomato pasta, it’s one of my go-to dinners 🙂
These are delicious! First time cooking with tofu and it was so easy! I couldn’t even tell it was tofu. Definitely recommended!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Nicole!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.
PS. I have a handful of easy tofu recipes if you’re looking for more inspiration for cooking with it in the future 🙂
I have not tried it yet but the ingredients seem scrumptious. We will be making this tonight. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much, A! This was one of my favourite recipes I made this summer. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
I made these for a pot luck last weekend and they were a huge hit. Sliced each zucchini up into 4 smaller pieces so they’d be easy to share. Not complicated at all and great nutrition benefits! Will definitely make these again.
Thank you so much for sharing, Danielle!! It’s so appreciated. I’m so happy to hear that these were a hit at your pot luck 🙂
Delicious! Used vegan mozzarella cheese over it and broiled it at the end for a few minutes to get the cheese crunchy. Delicious! Will make again.
Hi Mina! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this kind review. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these!! Love that they worked with vegan mozzarella – yum!!
I usually make this with tempeh but I had tofu and zucchini in the fridge that needed to be used and I found your recipe so I thought I would give it a try. I added chopped onion and minced garlic to the pan with the tofu as well as some of the scooped out zucchini. Also, a little red pepper flakes to the sauce for zing! My husband will eat my tempeh dishes but he doesn’t like tofu, I think mostly because of the mush factor which, TBH is what I was afraid of with this dish, but even he liked this! He said the crunch of the zucchini boat gave it the texture that was missing from the tofu. Definitely will make again. Thanks!
Hi Lori! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review! It’s so appreciated and I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. Love the additions you made to it, too!
If you’re looking for more recipes that use tofu in a similar way, you may also enjoy my go-to tofu tomato pasta! It’s one of my favourite easy dinners 🙂 Or, this vegetarian lasagna soup and this vegetarian taco pasta bake also use tofu crumbles!