Taco Zucchini Boats {Keto}
These keto Taco Zucchini boats are made with fresh zucchini stuffed with seasoned ground beef, bell peppers, and topped with cheese and a spicy salsa.
Taco Zucchini Boats are one of those low carb, keto recipes that everyone in the house will love whether they are watching their carbs or not. It’s a great way to use up all of that amazing summer zucchini (though we eat it year round in my house!), sneak some veggies into a family meal, and get all of those take flavors you love without ever missing that crunchy shell.
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What is in Taco Zucchini Boats?
- Zucchini
- Ground Beef
- Bell peppers
- Taco Seasoning
- Cheddar Cheese
- Salsa
How to Make Taco Zucchini Boats:
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Prepare your zucchini by trimming off the stem end. To do this I just gently round the end of the zucchini with a knife, removing the stem. Then cut each zucchini in half length-wise. Use a measuring spoon (teaspoon) to hollow out the zucchini forming a boat. Note: You can also just trim the ends with a straight cut I just like to keep the rounded so nothing spills out the end when I fill the boats.
- Place the zucchini boats in a greased baking dish and sprinkle a small amount of salt over them.
- In a skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef.
- Add bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, salt, and ¼ cup of water to the ground beef. Continue to cook until vegetables are softened and water has been absorbed.
- Once the beef mixture is ready fill each zucchini boat with the beef and vegetable mixture.
- Top the zucchini boats with cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until zucchini has softened and cheese is melted.
- Pour salsa over boats before serving. You can also add a little sour cream to each if you like!
Can You Make Zucchini Boats Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can make these up to 2 days ahead of time. Follow all of the instructions up to step 6, filling the boats. After each one is stuffed cover tightly (or store in an airtight container and put the back in the casserole dish before baking). When you are ready to cook them just sprinkle the cheese on top and bake.
This may take slightly longer since they will be cold but just keep an eye on them and use a fork to test when the zucchini has softened.
Alternatively I bake mine and then keep the leftovers in the refrigerator to heat up for a quick lunch during the week. They reheat great!
Can You Freeze Zucchini Boats?
I don’t recommend freezing zucchini boats because zucchini gets mushy when it is frozen and reheated. You can make the filling ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Then all you have to do is prepare the zucchini, spoon the thawed out filling into each one, top with cheese, and bake!
Looking for More Easy Zucchini Recipes?
- Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles
- Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Lasagna
- Cheesy Baked Zucchini Casserole
- Crispy Zucchini Chips
- Zucchini Pad Thai
- One Pot Low Carb Shrimp Alfredo
- One Pot Summer Vegetable Pasta
- Ratatouille
- Spiralizer Recipes
- Summer Zucchini Recipes
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
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Taco Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 4 Zucchini
- 1 pound Ground beef
- ½ cup Bell Peppers, mixed Red & Yellow, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Water
- 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Salsa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Prepare your zucchini by trimming off the stem end. To do this I just gently round the end of the zucchini with a knife, removing the stem. Then cut each zucchini in half length-wise. Use a measuring spoon (teaspoon) to hollow out the zucchini forming a boat.
- Place the zucchini boats in a greased baking dish and sprinkle a small amount of salt over them.
- In a skillet over medium high heat brown the ground beef.
- Add bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, salt, and ¼ cup of water to the ground beef. Continue to cook until vegetables are softened and water has been absorbed.
- Once the beef mixture is ready fill each zucchini boat with the beef and vegetable mixture.
- Top the zucchini boats with cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until zucchini has softened and cheese is melted.
- Pour salsa over boats before serving.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on June 4, 2015. It was republished on July 15, 2019 with slightly updated recipe and new photos.
I’ve never made Zucchini boats but love the fresh produce of Summer! I’m going to have to make these for sure! #client
These look so delicious! I love tons of veggies as the weather gets warmer and these look like something my whole family would eat! Pinning, thanks for sharing!
Visiting from Jordan’s Onion blog hop
Fresh and fabulous!
My hubby is never a fan of zucchini’s, but I love them. I think this salsa would definitely be a selling point for him!
Thanks coffee linking up to Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.
We love to buy organic zucchini at Costco so I will try this the next time I pick some up
looks very tempting and delicious!
This looks delicious! I love tex mex anything! 🙂
Mmmmmmmmm looks so good! Pinned and will definitely try this recipe. 🙂 Thanks for sharing on Friday Favorites!
These look super yummy and healthy too!! I would love if you stopped by and shared on My 2 Favorite things on Thursday Link party!! It’s still open!! I’d love to have you!!
I love these! So simple, yet so healthy and yummy. Thanks for the inspiration.
Wow! That looks incredible. I’m so impressed. Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you stopping by to party with us. We hope to see you, Monday at 7 pm. Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls
Delicious! Great way to use up all that zucchini!! You can do this with summer squash too – and it actually holds the ground beef mixture better!
This is such a delicious meal! I have made it twice so far – the first time was with the zucchini boats and the second time was with the zucchini and squash cut up and baked in oven then mixed with other ingredients for a casserole. The flavors meld so great together!
First time I’ve made these, they were delicious! Healthy, yummy, and filling
OMG…made these tonight! SO GOOD! I added cabbage (had some left over) and used Jack cheese. Salsa and sour cream was great on them.