These easy Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats are full of amazing flavor. Tender squash filled with ground beef, peppers, and onions are covered in cheese and baked until bubbly for the perfect keto dinner.
Beef Enchilada Zucchini Boats
These delicious Enchilada-Stuffed Zucchini Boats make a great dinner on a busy weeknight! This 40-minute ground beef recipe is full of veggies, flavorful sauce, and melty cheese for a low-carb dinner that feels indulgent. It’s easy to prep ahead of time and reheats wonderfully for perfect leftover lunches, too. This easy dinner recipe can easily be adjusted to be leaner or spicier based on your preferences and is sure to be a family favorite!
Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this low-carb dinner. Find exact measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Zucchini – Choose ones that are medium to large in size so that they can fit all of the filling. Try to pick four squash that are all very similar in size and shape to help ensure that they will cook at the same rate.
- Ground beef – I chose a 90/10 to avoid excessive oil. You could easily replace this with ground turkey or even ground chicken if you want a leaner version.
- Smoked paprika, Chili powder, Cumin, and Salt – This easy seasoning blend brings out the best flavors and will work well with the sauce.
- Yellow onion, Red bell pepper, Canned green chiles, and Garlic – Swap for a white onion if you want a stronger, bolder onion flavor. If you don’t have a red bell pepper, other colors work fine, too. Drain the chiles and mince the garlic.
- Enchilada sauce – I used this homemade enchilada recipe because it’s low-carb, gluten-free, and is lower in sodium than store-bought. Store-bought will work to save time, though!
- Shredded cheese – I used a Mexican blend for flavor, but feel free to use cheddar, pepper jack, or another cheese if you prefer.
- Chopped cilantro – Optional, added for flavor and fragrance.
How to Make Enchilada Zucchini Boats
This easy keto dinner is simple, and you just need a large skillet and a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper or silicone). Just follow the step-by-step recipe for this healthy meal!
Prep the zucchini
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and remove the insides with a spoon. I prefer to throw the zucchini insides into my egg scrambles or other recipes later–I do not mix them into my filling. If you want to discard these, that’s fine, too. If you choose to mix them in, you will need to mound the filling up and will likely have a lot of overflow.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone for an easy cleanup. Place the hollowed-out zucchini boats on the prepped baking pan and set it aside for now.
Cook enchilada filling
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add in your ground beef. Crumble the beef as it cooks, browning it. Season the meat with the paprika, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Once browned, add your diced onion and bell peppers as well as your drained green chiles. Continue sauteing until the vegetables are softened (this took about 3-5 minutes for me).
Add in your garlic and sauté just 30 seconds more (or until fragrant). Stir in the enchilada sauce and allow it to heat up. Remove from the heat until hot and bubbly.
Fill and bake zucchini boats
Divide the beef enchilada filling evenly between the hollowed zucchini, then sprinkle each one evenly with the shredded cheese. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the cheese is melted and zucchini is softened. If you like crispy, browned cheese, broil for the last 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the tops of the zucchini boats with the chopped cilantro. Serve immediately!
How to serve beef enchilada zucchini boats
We love this stuffed zucchini sprinkled with fresh herbs and paired with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice and a Keto Mango Margarita for a whole meal under 11 net carbs! You could use these Zucchini Keto Tortillas to pick up any leftover stuffing on your plate or serve these Jalapeno Cheddar Chaffles like a side of toast to bulk up the meal. To kick it up a notch, drizzle with this Jalapeno Ranch!
More sides & drinks to serve:
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Allow your stuffed zucchini to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. To reheat, simply microwave in 60-90 second bursts at 50% power until warmed through or bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes until warm throughout.
I don’t recommend freezing these as the zucchini can become mushy after thawing and reheating. However, you can easily make the beef enchilada filling ahead of time and freeze it instead! Simply make the filling as directed, allow it to cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container up to 2-3 months for the best texture. Thaw overnight in the fridge and spoon into hollow zucchini boats and bake whenever you’re ready to eat.
More great keto zucchini boat recipes:
- Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats – 3.4 net carbs
- Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Boats – 2.7 net carbs
- Pollo Con Queso Zucchini Boats – 3 net carbs
- Keto Cheeseburger Zucchini Boats – 4.8 net carbs
- Chili Cheese Zucchini Boats – 2.7 net carbs
Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large zucchini
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 4-ounce can green chiles drained
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup enchilada sauce
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese or cheddar
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the zucchini lengthwise and remove the insides with a spoon. Place the zucchini boats on the baking sheet and set aside.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat, crumbling it as it cooks. Season with smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, and salt.
- Once browned, add the onion, bell pepper, and green chilies and continue to saute until the vegetables are softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute 30 more seconds.
- Stir in the enchilada sauce and heat until hot and bubbly. Remove from the heat.
- Divide the beef enchilada filling evenly between the zucchini boats, then sprinkle each one evenly with cheese. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the zucchini is softened. Broil the last 1-2 minutes for browned cheese.
- Remove from the oven and top with chopped cilantro. Serve!
Notes
- I used homemade enchilada sauce which is also low carb and gluten-free. Store-bought also works!
- Leftovers keep really well in the fridge for up to 3 days, just reheat in the microwave!
- You can use ground turkey or chicken in place of the beef, if desired. I used 90/10 ground beef.
