Turn bland zucchini into a crave-worthy meal with this easy recipe for Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats. Trust me, stuffed zucchini doesn’t need cheese when you use the BEST plant-based filling EVER, with delicious meaty texture and tons of umami taste from mushrooms, walnuts and a savory blend of seasonings. Topped with marinara sauce and baked to perfection….you’ll be looking for more of my delicious vegan dinner recipes after you enjoy this one.
If you love this vegan stuffed zucchini, I bet you’ll also like my gluten-free and vegan stuffed peppers with lentils and my quinoa and mushroom stuffed tomatoes.
Ingredient Notes
- Mushrooms: The plant-based kitchen super star, providing that meaty, umami texture and taste.Not a fan of mushrooms? Use lentils.
- Spices: A combination of italian seasonings plus onion and garlic powder add to the authentic flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast: This adds more than just B12 to the recipe. It gives just a hint of a cheese flavor, that’s not overpowering and keeps this recipe dairy-free. I’ve made this for many vegetarians who say they just can’t give up cheese…and guess what? They love it!
Step by Step
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides. A grapefruit spoon makes this easier to do. Set the pulp aside, you’ll need it for the filling.
Place the empty zucchini boats on top of a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Place in a preheated 375 oven to par-bake while you make the filling.
Prep all ingredients to have on hand. You can chop the walnuts by hand, or use a spice grinder to finish the task more quickly.
Either way, you’ll want to create small pieces, but not so fine that it turns into powder.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and saute the onions and mushrooms in your choice of olive oil, broth or water. Then add Italian spices, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Stir in diced bell peppers plus roughly chopped zucchini pulp that you set aside earlier. Cook, stirring, as veggies release their juices and become tender, but not mushy.
Next add the finely chopped walnuts and tamari.
Turn off heat. Stir to thoroughly combine.
Scoop filling into the par-baked zucchini boats.
Spoon additional marinara over the top of the stuffed zucchini. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.
Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and bake in preheated 375 oven.
After 30 minutes, your stuffed zucchini boats will be bubbling and crisp on top, tender and meaty in the center.
Bam….done. Dinner on the table. You can even make it ahead and bake when you’re ready. What? Yes! It’s nutritious, delicious and MEAL PREP FRIENDLY.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- If you have any extra filling, spoon it into the pan, around the zucchini boats and cover with marinara. It’s the best part…someone will happily add it to their plate.
- When I tested this recipe without par-baking the zucchini boats, they weren’t quite tender enough, so don’t skip this crucial step!
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📖 Recipe
Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized zucchini
- 1 small onion small dice
- 6 ounces baby bella or crimini mushrooms small dice
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 red bell pepper small dice
- ¾ cup walnuts finely chopped*
- 1 Tablespoon low sodium tamari
- ¾ cup marinara sauce divided
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides*, leaving no more than ¼" at the edges to be the "boats" you will stuff. Set aside the zucchini insides to roughly chop and include in the stuffing. You will have about ¾ cup zucchini pulp.
- Spread ¼ cup marinara sauce onto the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Place empty zucchini boats onto sauce and place in the oven to prebake for 10 minutes so begin the softening process.
- Prep ingredients: small dice onion, mushrooms and red pepper. I used my spice grinder to chop the walnuts, but you could also use a knife. You want something that’s a bit larger than already ground walnuts (walnut meal), but smaller than pea sized pieces. They don’t have to be perfectly uniform in size, but pieces that are too large will be crunchy in the final product.
- Heat a heavy skillet (I like to use cast iron) over medium heat. Swirl in olive oil (for oil-free, use 2 Tablespoons water) and then saute onions and mushrooms for a couple minutes. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder and continue to cook for about 3 minutes, as onions and mushrooms release their juices.
- Add chopped zucchini pulp and red peppers and cook mixture, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. If pan becomes too dry, add 1 Tablespoon water, and continue cooking.
- Stir in walnuts and tamari and cook for another 2 minutes. Everything should be soft.
- Remove zucchini boats from oven. Evenly distribute filling into zucchini cavities. Pile it on. Use up all the filling you have. Spoon 1 Tablespoon marinara sauce on top of each stuffed zucchini boat. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and top with fresh herbs* if desired. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and zucchini boats are tender.
- Serve warm. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheated in a 350 oven for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Reheat in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, until heated through.
- Freeze in freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Linda
What herbs do you recommend?
Debra Klein
I sprinkle the tops with whatever fresh herbs I have on hand. I grow oregano, thyme and parsley year round in small pots by a sunny window, so usually I choose one of those. Basil would also be good.
Stevie
Easy and delicious!!!
Emily
Everyone loved these zucchini boats!
Susan
This a delicious, easy to prepare recipe. I am trying to introduce more vegetarian dinner options and am at times met with skepticism but tonight I was told I might have won him over! I highly recommend adding this to your dinner rotation. I used Rao’s Calabrian Chili Marinara (purchased on the website) which added the right amount of kick.
Pam
Our new meatless Monday favorite!
Jill
Better than any stuffed pasta recipe I’ve had!