The BEST Enchilada Zucchini Boats

Zucchini Boats are the Perfect Comfort and Veggie Recipe in One!

Confession: I am a HUGE zucchini fan.

These zucchini boats are calling my name right now with all their cheesy comfort goodness that’s just oozing out of these food pics.

And guess what, busy moms, these fun boats will not take hours to prepare!

Do your kids come running to the kitchen when you’re cooking or baking something out of the ordinary?

My kids do too.

Simply making veggies more fun and visually appealing is a great way to beef up an appreciate for the wonderful world of vegetables.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

I’m really, reeeeeaaaallly trying to eat more healthy and “clean.”

Do you know what that means?

There’s a lot more celery, spinach, zucchinis, and spaghetti squash around my house now.

So, brace yourself for more veggie-filled recipes!

But, my husband and kiddos still want their comfort food.

You know the cheesy, meaty dishes that make you want to cuddle up afterwards and enjoy all the comfiness of the moment?

So the ingredients in our kitchen have to make both healthy and comfort foodies happy.

This dish does just that!

I can even leave out the ground beef and cut back on the cheese for me, but the rest of my family?

They’ll scream, “Add more cheese!”

This is also a great dish to make for friends and family.

Everyone gets their own “boat” and can add extra cheese, sour cream or guacamole to top things off ever-so-perfectly.

Plus, it’s just fun to eat out of a “boat”, right? ;0)

Ingredients Needed for Zucchini Enchilada Boats

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 2 cups enchilada sauce (see post for link to recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • dash tabasco sauce
  • 3 zucchinis
  • 2 cups shredded Monterrey and cheddar cheese
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 2 avocados diced
  • cilantro, fresh

How to Make Enchilada Zucchini Boats

Step 1: Sauté the ground beef.

Heat up up and cook ground beef with the garlic and onions. Drain fat.

Step 2: Add spices and sauce.

Add the enchilada sauce, chili powder, and salt (if needed). Cook for about 5 minutes.

Step 3. Taste and re-taste!

Add Tabasco sauce to taste. Remove meat mixture from heat and set aside.

Step 4: Cut up zucchinis.

Cut zucchinis in half and scoop out all of the inside.

Brush each one with olive oil, place in a oven proof dish and cover with foil.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 5: Fill Zucchinis

Remove baked zucchinis from oven and fill with meat mixture.

Top with shredded cheese and return to oven.

Bake until cheese is melted.

Step 6: Garnish Zucchini Boats

Remove from oven and top with fresh tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro.

Do You Really Have to Use Fresh Ingredients?

Yes, fresh cilantro should be FRESH.

Mmm-hmmm..that yummy green stuff will take your recipe from (whispers in quiet voice) enchiladas to (jumps on couch and screams) ENCHILADAS!

Trust me…don’t forget the cilantro..and yes, it HAS to be fresh.

No substitutions.

Nada. Never. Ever.

Can I Use Canned Enchilada Sauce for the Zucchini Enchilada Boats?

Oh, and to keep things super-simple, you can use canned enchilada sauce.

But if you want to keep your recipe super-fresh, I highly recommend using this recipe to create a healthy, homemade, oh-so-yummy enchilada sauce for your zucchini boats.

Enjoy taking a new adventure and creating some amazing enchilada inside a beautiful, green zucchini!

Recipe follows!

More Zucchini Recipes:

Keto Zucchini Lasagna

enchilada zucchini boats

Enchilada Zucchini Boats

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Enjoy the comfort of cheesy enchiladas served in beautiful green zucchini boats. Enchilada zucchini boats makes the healthy and comfort foodie unite in one, dee-lish recipe!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 cups enchilada sauce, (see post for link to recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • dash tabasco sauce
  • 3 zucchinis
  • 2 cups shredded Monterrey and cheddar cheese
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 avacados, diced
  • cilantro, fresh

Instructions

  1. In two tablespoons of cooking oil, sauté the ground beef with the garlic and onions until the meat is thoroughly cooked. Drain fat.
  2. Add the enchilada sauce, chili powder and salt (if needed). Cook for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add Tabasco sauce to taste. Remove meat mixture form heat and set aside.
  4. Cut Zucchinis in half and scoop out all the insides.
  5. Brush each one with olive oil, place in a oven proof dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  6. Remove baked zucchinis from oven and fill with meat mixture.
  7. Top with shredded cheese and return to oven. Bake until cheese is melted.
  8. Remove from oven and top with fresh tomatoes, avocado and cilantro.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 514Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 1116mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 9gSugar: 10gProtein: 36g

Nutrition values are estimates only, and are provided only as a courtesy.

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