About Zucchini Lasagna Boats
For regular readers of this little food blog, you already know how much I struggle with coming up with easy (yet wholesome!) dinners for an old friend of mine and I.
And it has nothing to do with the content of the food – because thankfully, we both have similar tastes – but the area I have the most problems with is the size of the dish.
It’s just the two of us in this house, and most recipes are made to feed four to six people.
We’re a big fan of leftovers, but sometimes you’re just looking for a versatile dish that’s easy to adjust for servings. A recipe that would be perfect for dinner or a side dish or even a quick lunch. A recipe where I don’t have to stress about measurements and portions and whether or not I have enough clean Tupperware to store it in.
And that, my friends, is why this recipe so for zucchini lasagna boats is absolutely genius.
This recipe is designed to use only two zucchini, making it a perfect side dish or lunch option.
And as for an old friend of mine and I, this dish made for a perfect light dinner for the two of us.
But should you need to crank up the servings, this recipe is easy to double or triple (or even quadruple!) so long as you keep the number of zucchini’s to an even number: 4 zucchini, 6 zucchini, etc etc. If you need help with math (no judging, because I can’t math either) the recipe card below will help you sort out the ingredients.
And in addition to this recipe being versatile with servings, it’s also really easy to put together.
Just carve out the zucchini, fill it with cheese and a meaty Ragu sauce, and bake.
Voilà, your meal is served!
And as for the ingredients, what really makes these lasagna zucchini boats shine is the Ragu Homestyle Thick and Hearty Meat Sauce.
The sauce was incredibly thick and flavorful, making it the perfect combination with the mild zucchini and tasty cheeses.
I love making my own sauces just as much as the next amateur cook, but when you’re looking for a quick dinner solution that still packs all the wholesomeness of a homemade sauce, Ragu is always what I reach for.
This new line of Homestyle sauces has been a great addition to my cabinet arsenal.
How do you make zucchini boats?
While this recipe might look involved, the process is (thankfully!) very simple:
1 – Cut the zucchinis in half and hollow out the center, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh around the sides. You want to keep a think enough of the edge so that the zucchinis keep their shape while baking. If desired, brush the zucchini with olive oil for some extra flavor.
2 – Mix the cheese and herb filing together, then generously scoop it into the center of the zucchinis. Be careful not to overfill!
3 – Cook the ground meat of your choice, combine it with the red sauce, and then drizzle it over the zucchini boats.
4 – Bake the zucchini boats until tender, then drizzle any remaining cheese on top.
And there you have it, a perfectly easy dinner! (Or lunch! Or snack!)
How many calories are in lasagna zucchini boats?
This number will depend on the type of red sauce you use, but for this particular recipe, there are 693 calories in one serving (which includes two zucchini boats, meaning one whole zucchini with filling).
But what if you only wanted to have one zucchini boat (meaning a 1/2 of a zucchini with filling)? Then that would be only 347 calories.
notes & tips for these lasagna boats
- As mentioned in the post, I recommend using Ragu Homestyle Thick and Hearty Meat Sauce in this recipe for the convenience and flavor. However, if you’d rather make your own sauce, you can try homemade marinara, homemade meat sauce, or other red sauce of your choice.
- Like the baking dish used in the pictures? It’s the perfect size for zucchini boats! You can pick up this square baking dish on Amazon.
More great recipes made with red sauce
- Easy Cheesy Manicotti
- Baked Spaghetti Casserole
- Ricotta Stuffed Shells
- Cheesy Spaghetti Stuffed Peppers
- Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Shells
- Baked Italian Sausage Ravioli
- Meatball Sub Casserole
Recipe Details
Lasagna Zucchini Boats
Tender baked zucchini filled with a mix of flavorful cheeses and topped with a meaty Ragu sauce. Plus, it's easy to adjust the serving amount of this recipe to fit any time, date, or occasion!
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise (as pictured above) and carve out the middle, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh around the sides so that the zucchinis will still keep their shape. Tip: I scored the shape I needed with a knife as a guide, then used a spoon to scrape out the middle.
In a small bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, egg, and parsley until smooth, then fold in mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef and drain any excess grease. Mix ground beef with Ragu Homestyle Thick and Hearty Meat Sauce.
- To assemble zucchini boats: evenly fill zucchinis with cheese mixture so that the bottoms are covered but that the cheese is not higher than the sides of the zucchini. Finish by topping each zucchini with meat and Ragu mixture.
Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake zucchini boats for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle tops of zucchini boats with mozzarella, then bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes. When ready cheese should be melted and zucchinis should be soft.
- Serve immediately with fresh parsley sprinkled on top.
homestyle thick and hearty four cheese or roasted garlic sounds yummy.
I would love to try their mushroom sauce.
Perhaps I missed it, what did you do with the zucchini insides after you scooped them out of the shell?
Hey Karl! For this recipe, the scooped out part is discarded (or, at least, it’s not used again in the recipe – you’re free to use it for something else!)
Can i use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?
could you freeze these? thaw and cook them?