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
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.
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.)
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.
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!
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.
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.
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Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini
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.
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