Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef

5 from 1 vote

Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef and Rice are the perfect way to make use of your fresh garden zucchini.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Salting Time5

Total Time1 35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: people

Calories: 487kcal

Wash the zucchini and dry them well.
Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise.
Use a small spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the flesh, creating a hollow "boat" shape. Keep the scooped-out zucchini flesh aside.
Make sure you leave enough space on the sides and bottom to maintain the shape of the zucchinis.
Sprinkle a little salt inside the hollowed boats, turn them upside down, and leave them for 5 minutes. Pat them dry before you fill them.

Rinse the rice under cold running water, allow it to drain on a colander, and then transfer it into a large bowl.
Add the ground beef, chopped tomatoes, diced onions, salt, freshly ground pepper, tomato paste, olive oil, and chopped herbs to the bowl.
Mix everything together thoroughly until all the ingredients are nicely combined.

Preheat your oven to 190° C - 375° F.
Place the hollowed zucchini boats in a baking dish approximately size of 33 cm x 22 cm (13" x 9") with a minimum of 9 cm (3.5") depth.
Generously stuff each zucchini boat with the meat filling. Fill them loosely and do not press the filling down, the rice needs room to swell.
Dilute 1 tablespoon of tomato paste with 1 ½ cups of hot water and pour it around the boats. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the zucchini.

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, and then place it in the preheated oven.
Bake them for an hour, then check them. A knife should slide into the side of a zucchini with no resistance and the rice should be soft. Remove the dish from the oven.
Sprinkle on a generous amount of cheese, then place the dish back in the oven. I leave some of the zucchini without cheese and serve them with yogurt or sour cream.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered, until the cheese melts.
Let them cool slightly before serving.

Choose firm, glossy, deep green zucchini and avoid any that are soft or blemished. Cut them in half with clean, even cuts.
Don't scoop out too much flesh. Shells hollowed too thin split open in the oven.
Salt the inside of the hollowed boats, turn them upside down for 5 minutes, then pat them dry. This is what keeps the dish from going watery.
Save the scooped-out flesh for soups, fritters, or omelets.
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, so the filling doesn't turn sticky.
Fill the boats loosely, and pour in enough broth to come halfway up the sides of the zucchini.
Ovens vary. The boats are ready when a knife slides into the side of a zucchini with no resistance.
You can mix the filling a day ahead, or assemble the whole dish up to 24 hours ahead. Add 5 minutes to the baking time if it goes into the oven cold.
Swap the rice for bulgur, quinoa, or couscous, and the beef for ground chicken, lamb, or turkey.
Cooled leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, in an airtight container lined with a sheet of paper towel.
Freezing the baked boats is not recommended, because the zucchini turns watery when it thaws. The raw filling freezes for up to 3 months.
Reheat covered with foil in a preheated 175° C - 350° F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or in an air fryer at 175° C - 350° F for 3 to 5 minutes.