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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini

    Updated Nov 29, 2020

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    Looking for an easy recipe the whole family will love? Try Cheesy (and Easy) Stuffed Zucchini. This recipe makes a terrific dinner and is also great for lunch meal prep. Get the recipe and learn how to make an easy and savory filling for wholesome and healthy zucchini.

    With cheese on them. I can't resist. 🙂

    Cheesy (and Easy) Stuffed Zucchini | Buy This Cook That

    Cheesy (and Easy) Stuffed Zucchini

    Zucchini squash is one of my favorite vegetables. Every time I see some beauties like these at my grocery store, I have to grab them. I'm always looking for different ways to prepare zucchini, and stuffing them is a great way to mix it up on the dinner table.

    For this recipe, we used 4 zucchini squash. Problem is, I didn't think it through before I got my pan messy. I really needed a larger baking dish. So warning, all of the shots will show 3. (No worries, I cooked the other squash on the side in a smaller dish.)

    Which leads me to this TIP: Make sure your baking dish will hold 8 zucchini halves.

    fresh zucchini squash

    Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out all of the seeds and pulp. This will leave you with little zucchini boats.

    Arrange the prepared zucchini in the bottom of your baking dish. Or in my case DISHES, lol. There's no need to put any sauce on the bottom. The zucchini are so moist they usually won't stick. (I used a spritz or two of non-stick spray on the bottom to be sure.)

    Prepared zucchini halves in a blue baking dish

    At this point you can make stuffed zucchini with just about anything. Leftover chicken is a great choice, just mix it with veggies and seasoning and go.

    My family loves beef, so I created a savory filling with lean ground beef. To make this filling, I used a pound of ground beef, a small can of green chiles, black beans, corn, a little tomato paste, seasonings and water.

    Get the complete ingredient list in the recipe at the bottom of this post.

    Savory beef filling with black beans and corn

    This is one of those recipes you can use up items in your pantry or fridge. We used black beans, but this recipe would be great with garbanzo beans or pinto beans. No corn? No worries. Just swap out with a fresh chopped tomato or even black olives.

    You can also use up leftover rice in this recipe.

    TIP: The filling is also excellent for stuffed bell peppers.

    Looking for more Yummy Recipes? Try These:

    Buffalo Chicken Mac + Cheese

    Salsa Avocado Chicken

    The Best Ham + Bean Soup. Ever.

    Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

    Nashville Hot Chicken Wraps

    This was a total weeknight win for me, and I was going for a simple but tasty stuffed zucchini recipe that I knew my family would love. For the seasoning, I didn't get fancy. I used a couple of spoonfuls of a pre-packaged Fajita seasoning that was in my spice cabinet. Feel free to use what you have on hand, such as dry ranch seasoning or even taco seasoning.

    No shame in taking a flavor shortcut!

    Cheesy (and Easy) Stuffed Zucchini | Buy This Cook That

    Evenly spoon the prepared ground beef and vegetable mixture into the zucchini halves. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. The cheese will be golden and bubbly.

    Cheesy (and Easy) Stuffed Zucchini | Buy This Cook That

    This main dish recipe idea for Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini is perfect as is or served with a side salad. My family loved it, and so did I.

    Bonus! Per serving, this stuffed zucchini recipe is relatively low in calories, low in carbs and high in protein.

    Cheesy (and Easy) Stuffed Zucchini | Buy This Cook That

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    Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini

    Your weeknight easy recipe prayers are answered with this cheesy stuffed zucchini. Hearty and flavorful, this dinner idea will be a hit with the fam.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Email Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 213 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 zucchini squash
    • 1 pound lean ground beef
    • 4 ounces canned green chiles undrained
    • ½ cup black beans rinsed, drained
    • ½ cup kernel corn drained
    • 3 ounces tomato paste
    • 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning
    • ¾ cup water
    • 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the inside of each zucchini half. Arrange the zucchini in the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
    • In a skillet on medium heat, brown and crumble the ground beef until no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. 
    • Stir in the green chiles, beans corn, tomato paste, seasoning and water. Combine well. Cook and stir for 10 minutes.
    • Evenly spoon the meat mixture into the prepared zucchini. Top with cheese.
    • Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

    Notes

    Although many of the pictures show 3 zucchini (total of 6 halves), the recipe uses 4 zucchini (total of 8 halves). (I used too small of a pan. Blogger fail!)

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 20gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 384mgPotassium: 645mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 645IUVitamin C: 25.2mgCalcium: 185mgIron: 2.6mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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