Packed full of tuna, fresh veggies and cheese, these Tuna and Veggie Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a hearty and healthy dinner alternative.
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If you’re looking to change things up for dinner but still use everyday ingredients, this is your recipe. No fancy ingredients, but definitely a change from the dinner norm. And did I mention they’re incredibly delicious? I immediately inhaled one right after photographing! 🙂
Your simple ingredients are: Zucchini, crushed buttery crackers, sharp cheddar cheese, tomato, red onion, fresh minced garlic, canned tuna and pepper.
I found that using a melon baller made hollowing out the zucchini pulp SO EASY! If you don’t have a melon baller, you can use a spoon.
The pulp is roughly chopped and mixed with the remaining ingredients (except for reserving a little of the shredded cheese to sprinkle on top) and stuffed into the zucchini “boats”. You might initially think you have too much of the zucchini pulp mixture, but trust me… if you pile it on like in the photographs, you’ll use every bit of it.
Even with the crushed buttery crackers, 1 serving (2 zucchini boats) is just 18.2 grams of carbs (for my low carb friends!). Even if you’re not on a low carb diet, these are amazing… ENJOY! 🙂
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Tuna and Veggie Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Prep Time: 15 mins- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Pin RecipeIngredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 20 round buttery crackers (such as Ritz), crushed
- 1–2/3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup seeded and diced Roma tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
- 1 (12-ounce) can chunk light tuna in water, very well drained
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (more or less, to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Rinse zucchini and pat dry. Halve each zucchini lengthwise and scrape out pulp using a melon baller or spoon. Coarsely chop the pulp and transfer to a medium bowl.
- Place zucchini shells on a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the zucchini are baking, add 1 cup of the cheese and the remaining ingredients to the bowl of the chopped zucchini pulp. Stir well to combine.
- Stuff each zucchini shell evenly with the mixture. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 2/3 cup of shredded cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until heated thoroughly and cheese is melted.
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
May 18, 2016 at 8:35 amI LOVE zucchini boats! This looks like the perfect quick and easy dinner!
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
May 18, 2016 at 9:15 amThanks so much, Bethany… they were delicious! 🙂
Ellie says
September 5, 2016 at 5:05 pmHi Amy,
I’m trying to teach my dad how to use the oven and these would be great for him to make (aka: re-heat) during the week. Do you think they’d freeze well?
All the best,
Ellie
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
September 6, 2016 at 9:41 amHi, Ellie! I personally can’t say because I’ve never frozen these. I think there would be a risk of the zucchini boats being mushy if reheated after being frozen. Let me know if your dad tries. Hope he enjoys them!
Natasha says
September 19, 2018 at 3:08 amHi Amy,
This a wonderful twist with adding tuna. My Mom made this for us when we were younger to get us to eat veggies. By adding the tuna was a delightful surprise!! We LOVE tuna!! I forgot a few steps in making this dish and your recipe triggered my memory. Thank you for helping me share this with my family!!
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
September 19, 2018 at 8:39 amThanks so much for your nice words, Natasha… so happy to hear everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
Emilia says
October 12, 2018 at 10:09 pmThese were better than I expected! I’m not used to making tuna without mayo or a cream soup in a casserole. But these had great flavor! They were perfect with the zucchini! My only critique is that the zucchini boats were a little on the crunchy side for me. Next time I’ll try baking them a little longer and see what happens. And one boat was plenty per person in my family! I did serve a little quinoa-bean salad on the side as well. But I’m totally adding this recipe in my rotation of family meals. My husband just found out he has high cholesterol so we’re trying to eat healthier. I’ve never made or eaten anything like this before. I was pleasantly surprised by how yummy this was! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
October 13, 2018 at 9:14 amThat is so wonderful to hear, Emilia! So happy you all enjoyed them! 🙂