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These stuffed zucchini boats are so easy to make with minimal prep. Stuffed with beef, rice and veggies, they are wholesome, hearty and wonderfully seasoned. The simple garlic sauce really brings them alive and they’re great t serve as part of a main and can be made ahead of time.
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Today, I am sharing with you a recipe for Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Yogurt Garlic Sauce (the sauce is amazing!). All credit for the recipe goes to my Mom. I was just her assistant and food photographer. 🙂
My husband, who is the official taste tester for all the recipes on my blog, doesn’t like zucchini (and mushrooms & peas). So I thought that he will probably eat the stuffing and leave the zucchini boats on the plate. He even reminded me that he dislikes zucchini as we started eating.
He took several bites of the stuffing topped with the garlic sauce and said it tastes very good. I didn’t notice until a few minutes later that he had cleaned his plate and the zucchini boat was gone as well. He had eaten everything!
These stuffed zucchini boats are perfect to serve as part of a main meal with a side of sweet potato fries, Greek salad or baked potato wedges.
Ingredinets To Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Zucchini
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Carrots
- Tomato
- Rice
- Cumin, oregano, salt and pepper
For The Garlic Sauce
- Yogurt
- Mayonnaise
- Garlic cloves
- Salt
- Fresh dill
How To Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
- Half zucchini in half lengthwise. Remove the middle of each zucchini boat and place it in a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Brown meat in a large skillet for about 5 Â minutes until done. Season meat with salt, freshly ground black pepper, oregano, and cumin. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat 1 Tbsp oil in the same skillet. Add chopped onion, season with salt and cook until translucent.
- To the same skillet add chopped carrots, season with salt and cook until carrots are tender (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add 3/4 of the zucchini mixture and finely diced tomato. Season again with salt, freshly ground black pepper and oregano. Cook until vegetables are tender and flavors are well incorporated (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add ground beef and cooked rice to the skillet and mix everything.
- Season zucchini boats inside with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Fill zucchini boats with the vegetable-beef-rice mixture and place them on a large baking sheet.
- Add water to the baking sheet (about 1/2 inch).
- Bake at 400 F for about 40 minutes.
- While the zucchini boats are baking, prepare the yogurt garlic sauce.
- Just before serving, top stuffed zucchini boats with the garlic sauce. It’s so delicious!
Recipe Variations
For a Paleo version, substitute the cooked rice with cooked quinoa. Perfect summer dinner! Healthy, delicious and nutritious!
Easy Creamy Garlic Sauce
Don’t forget to make the garlic sauce, it’s a game changer! And only a few minutes to make. It’s truly phenomenal and adds so much flavor to the stuffed zucchini boats.
Did I mention that it’s also very versatile and goes really well with stuffed peppers, as a dip, on chicken kebabs, and anything else you like. My mouth is salivating just thinking about that garlic sauce and delicious yogurt-mayo- garlic flavor combo. Yum!
Can you make them ahead of time?
Yes! You can also make these stuffed zucchini boats ahead of time! Make the filling and stuff the zucchini before covering and refrigerating. They can be prepared a day ahead of time and cooked when ready to serve. Leftovers also make a great lunch!
Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini
I just adore the flavors in the stuffing, the oregano adds a wonderful herby aroma and the cumin adds a slightly earthy quality. The stuffing gets a little crispy when baked in the oven for added texture.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Remove the middle of the zucchini with a melon baller or teaspoon.
- I used white rice, but the recipe will work just as well with wild or brown rice.
- The garlic sauce will keep covered in the fridge for about 5 days.
More Delicious Summer Dinners:
- Easy Stuffed Zucchini Cups
- Stuffed Peppers
- Grilled Chicken with Raspberry Balsamic Glaze
- Bacon-Wrapped Chicken
- Grilled Chicken & Vegetables
Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Garlic Sauce
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INGREDIENTS
- 3 zucchini
- ½ lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, sliced in small quarts
- 1 tomato, finely diced
- ½ cup dry rice
- cumin, to taste
- oregano, to taste
- salt & freshly ground pepper
Garlic Sauce
- 1 ½ cup yogurt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 10 garlic cloves, minced (start with 5 cloves and up the amount according to your own taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped dill
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
- Half zucchini in half lengthwise. Remove the middle of each zucchini boat and place it in a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Brown meat in a large skillet for about 5 minutes until done. Season meat with salt, freshly ground black pepper, oregano, and cumin. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat 1 Tbsp oil in the same skillet. Add chopped onion, season with salt and cook until translucent. To the same skillet add chopped carrots, season with salt and cook until carrots are tender (about 3-4 minutes). Add 3/4 of the zucchini mixture and finely diced tomato. Season again with salt, freshly ground black pepper and oregano. Cook until vegetables are tender and flavors are well incorporated (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add ground beef and cooked rice to the skillet and mix everything.
- Season zucchini boats inside with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Fill zucchini boats with vegetable beef rice mixture and place them on a large baking sheet. Add water to the baking sheet (about 1/2 inch). This helps keep the zucchini boats tender and moist. Bake at 400 F for about 40 minutes.
- While the zucchini boats are baking, prepare the yogurt garlic sauce.
- Just before serving, top stuffed zucchini boats with the garlic sauce. It’s so delicious!
Garlic Sauce
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk Greek yogurt, mayo, minced garlic, and salt. Finally, add chopped dill and stir well. You can adjust the ingredients according to your liking, Add less or more mayo or garlic according to your taste.
TIPS & NOTES
- Remove the middle of the zucchini with a melon baller or teaspoon.
- I used white rice, but the recipe will work just as well with wild or brown rice.
- The garlic sauce will keep covered in the fridge for about 5 days.
NUTRITION
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Just made this, it was delicious! The garlic sauce definitely makes the dish!