These zucchini lasagna boats are absolutely delicious and will be a crowd favorite with your whole family!
They're a low-carb recipe that still hits all the fantastic flavor notes of lasagna! It's a great way to use summer zucchini.
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We love this stuffed zucchini recipe! We rarely have leftovers, but when we do, it's always a fight over who gets to have them for lunch!
This veggie-forward take on a classic lasagna recipe still has all the same comforting flavors while getting in some veggies - it's a win-win!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this delicious lasagna zucchini boats recipe.
- Fresh Zucchini - you'll need several large zucchini to create the zucchini boats. Try to use similar size ones if possible, so they cook to the same level of doneness.
- Lean Ground Turkey - I used Lean ground turkey for this recipe - it has an excellent flavor and tastes great. You can use ground beef if you'd prefer!
- Can of Crushed Tomatoes - besides the turkey, this is the main component of the sauce.
- Yellow Onion - you'll need a diced yellow onion to help create the sauce.
- Part Skim Ricotta Cheese - you'll add two layers of ricotta to the zucchini boats - one will serve as the base and you'll also dollop some on top - giving this a layered (lasagna-like) feel!
- Parmesan Cheese - you'll use some grated parmesan cheese to top the zucchini.
- Olive Oil - (or any other oil of your choice) will be used to saute the onions.
- Seasonings - to season the sauce, you'll need Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sea salt, and ground black pepper.
- Fresh Basil - you'll top the cooked zucchini boats with some chopped basil.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Scoop the interior out of the zucchini with a spoon or corer to create a boat shape. See the tips section below for what to do with leftover zucchini flesh.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium high heat and once hot, sauté the onion for 4 minutes.
Add the ground turkey to the pan and sauté it for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula, till it’s browned.
Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
Pour the crushed tomatoes into the meat mixture and stir to combine. Increase heat and allow to simmer for 3 minutes.
Place the zucchini halves in a large casserole dish or baking dish and spread a tablespoon of ricotta into the base of each zucchini.
Then, divide the marinara mixture evenly between the boats (see tips section for what to do with extra sauce). Top each zucchini boat with several dollops of ricotta.
Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and turn the broiler on high. Broil the zucchini boats for 2 to 4 minutes until the ricotta is lightly toasted.
Remove the dish from the oven and top with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Serve immediately.
Tips for Making this Recipe
Cooking Tips - Keep an eye on the ricotta as you are broiling this dish - if it starts to get too browned and near burning, remove the dish from the oven immediately.
Leftover Sauce - Depending on the size of your zucchini, you may have 1 to 1 ½ cups of leftover sauce. You can add it to the base of the pan and cook it alongside the zucchini, use it on an additional zucchini, or serve it with some pasta. You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
Leftover Zucchini - You can discard the hollowed out zucchini flesh or use chop it up and use it with some eggs in a fritter, freeze it and add it to a smoothie, or blend it and add it into your banana bread.
Vegetarian Option - you can leave out the ground turkey and just make a marinara sauce if you'd like a vegetarian option.
Recommended Tools - I recommend using a large pan - at least 9x13 inch or larger for this recipe.
Storage
You can save this zucchini lasagna recipe for up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Personally, I think these are even better the next day!
I do not recommend freezing the cooked zucchini as it will not reconstitute well when reheating. However, if you'd like to prep some components in advance, you can make the sauce and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cottage Cheese - you can substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta if you'd prefer. I do recommend blending the cottage cheese so it's a smoother texture.
- Ground Meat - feel free to use ground beef in place of ground turkey if you'd prefer.
- Mozarella - you can top the lasagna with shredded mozzarella cheese instead of parmesan, or in addition to it.
What to Serve with Zucchini Boats
You don't need a side dish necessarily, as this is a complete meal, but if you'd like an easy side dish, here are my favorites to pair with this recipe.
More Great Ground Turkey Recipes
See our full list of healthy ground turkey recipes, or try some of these favorites!
If you try this great recipe, let us know! Connect with us on Instagram and share your photos, or leave us a rating.
Zucchini Lasagna Boats
Ingredients
- 3 large zucchini halved
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 24 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Scoop the interior out of the zucchini with a spoon or corer to create a boat shape.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat, and once hot, sauté the onion for 4 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey to the pan and sauté it for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula till it’s browned.
- Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Increase heat and allow to simmer for 3 minutes.
- Place the zucchini in a large casserole dish (9x13 inch pan or larger) and spread a tablespoon of ricotta into the base of each zucchini. Then, divide the marinara mixture evenly between the boats*. Top each zucchini boat with several dollops of ricotta.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and turn the broiler on high. Broil the zucchini boats for 2 to 4 minutes until the ricotta is lightly toasted.
- Remove the dish from the oven and top with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Serve immediately.
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