Cheese Stuffed Zucchini

I love these stuffed zucchini boats with three cheeses, roasted red peppers, and basil. They are easy to make, taste incredible, and perfectly cheesy!

This stuffed zucchini recipe came from the summer we decided to grow zucchini in our garden. We were inundated with them! We needed lots of ways to use zucchini, and these zucchini boats made it to the top of our favorites list. They are easy, quick, and taste amazing.

The ingredient list for this recipe is inspired by our super popular veggie lasagna, which is made with zucchini, cheese, and a sauce made with tomatoes and roasted red peppers.

Key Ingredients

• Zucchini: For this recipe, I look for medium, firm zucchini. You’ll cut them in half and then scoop out some of the middle, so you want them large enough to fit the cheese stuffing. Yellow summer squash is also excellent.
• Roasted Red Pepper: I love the sweet flavor of roasted red peppers and often keep a jar of them in the fridge. If you would like to roast your own, look at our roasted red pepper hummus recipe, which shows how to roast bell peppers.
• Cheese: I use three cheeses in this recipe. Ricotta makes the filling creamy, parmesan adds a sharp, cheesy flavor, and mozzarella melts and turns golden brown. Cottage cheese is an excellent substitute for the ricotta. If you are making this vegetarian, use a vegetarian-friendly parmesan cheese or substitute it with another sharp cheese like white cheddar.
• Basil: We add basil leaves to the zucchini boats for fresh summer flavor before serving. If you only have dried basil, mix 1 teaspoon into the ricotta filling instead.

How to Make Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Boats

The prep time for this recipe is low. All you need to do is slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Then use a spoon to scoop out a channel down the middle. You don’t need to remove much, just enough to make some room for the ricotta and pepper filling. This is why they are called zucchini boats. The channel created by scooping out some of the zucchini makes them look like canoes.

Rub the zucchini halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place them cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast until tender (about 15 minutes). This is where some other stuffed zucchini recipes fall short. Zucchini has a lot of moisture, so roasting them unstuffed first lets some extra moisture cook off.

Then, I stuff the zucchini with a mixture of ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and chopped roasted red peppers, top it with mozzarella cheese, and slide it back into the oven to finish cooking. Easy, cheesy, and so good!

For a heartier variation, add some cooked quinoa, rice, or cooked ground turkey or chicken to the stuffing.