Stuffed Zucchini Pizza Boats

May 12, 2020(Last updated Apr 5, 2022)by Hannah Sunderani

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Say hello to this delicious masterpiece: Stuffed Zucchini Pizza Boats. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free, easy to make yet so gourmet! It’s wholesome and savoury, made with a tomato based plant-based “beef” filling, and topped with my homemade vegan mozzarella.

Truly, it’s a vegan comfort recipe that you will adore! Certainly, it was popular with my husband. And it will be a staple recipe from now on in our household.

So, let me share exactly how to make this deliciously comforting zucchini boat recipe!

Stuffed Zucchini Pizza Boats Recipe

The ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe are fairly simple and straightforward. You will need;

coconut oil
onion
garlic
plant-based “ground beef (recommendations below), or sub with 1.5 cups green lentils
Italian seasoning
fennel
tomato sauce
tomato paste
zucchinis
vegan mozzarella

As you can see, the ingredient list is minimal. And yet it packs tons of taste and flavour. Plus, most of the ingredients are pantry staples that you likely already have in your home.

Now, let’s talk about the plant-based “beef” in this recipe. Fortunately, there are lots of brands on the market now for plant-based “ground beef,” and it’s becoming easier to find it in most generic grocery stores.

But, if you can’t find plant-based ground beef at a grocery store near you, feel free to sub the ground beef for cooked lentils (green or black).

How to make zucchini boats

You might have noticed that there’s a few stuffed zucchini recipes online. However, not many of these recipes are vegan. Whomp whomp… But, this is exactly why I’ve created this plant-based recipe! Certainly, it’s as tasty and gourmet as they come. So you don’t need to compromise on taste when choosing a plant-based version from the classic.

This recipe is pizza/lasagna inspired, using a simple tomato-based vegan “ground beef” filling, topped with my homemade vegan mozzarella. Then baked in the oven until cooked and bubbling.

To make these zucchini boats, we will begin by preparing the “pizza sauce” filling. First, we will prepare the ingredients for the plant-based beef filling. Simply cook the ingredients in our saucepan and bring to a low simmer to thicken.

Next, we will prepare our homemade vegan mozzarella.This is a 5-minute recipe for melty, stretchy, creamy and cheesy vegan mozzarella.

Finally, we will stuff the zucchinis and bake! To do this we will slice the zucchini in half and scoop out the inner seeds to make boats. Next, fill with pizza sauce filling, and top with vegan cheese. Then bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until zucchini boats are bubbling and golden.

Tips for this recipe

Certainly, this recipe is simple and straight forward. In fact, anyone can make it, which is why I’ve given it my newbie cook stamp of approval.

Now, if you’re finding it hard to source a plant-based “ground beef” at your local grocery stores then you can sub with cooked lentils. In fact, I love to use lentils for this recipe. My preference is to use green or black.

And, if you want that “ground beef” texture then I recommend to pulse the lentils to break up the shape before adding your sauce.

In addition, if you want to speed up the process you can forgo making the vegan mozzarella yourself and opt in for a store-bought version. However, I much prefer the homemade. It only takes 5 minutes for a stretchy, melty cheese, and you know exactly what’s gone in to making it.

Other recipes you might like

If you’re digging this recipe, you might also like these:

Lentil Bolognese
Vegan Cauliflower Pizza
Best Vegan Chili
Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

So, there we have it! A gourmet, savoury, vegan and gluten-free Stuffed Zucchini Pizza Boats recipe. It’s a comforting dish that I think you’re going to love as much as we do.

And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.

Zucchini Pizza Boats

5 from 1 vote

By Hannah Sunderani

This is a simple gluten-free recipe that's so gourmet! Made with a plant-based "ground beef," stuffed into zucchini boats, topped with vegan mozzarella and baked until golden and bubbling.

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Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion small, chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
12 oz Plant-Based ground beef 12 oz/340 g (or 1.5 cups cooked lentils)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1.5 cups tomato sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 zucchinis
1 cup vegan mozzarella or store-bought

Instructions

In a deep skillet add coconut oil, onion and garlic. Cook on medium heat for 10 mins, or until onion is soft and translucent.
Add the plant-based ground (or lentils), Italian seasoning, fennel, sea salt and pepper. Cook and break apart ground into small chunks, until lightly brown (5-10 mins). Then pour in tomato sauce and tomato paste, mix to combine.
Make homemade vegan mozzarella. Or, grate store-bought plant-based cheese.
Preheat oven to 400F/200C.Slice zucchinis in half and scoop out inner seeds to make boats. Scoop plant-based ground beef into boats, and sprinkle/drizzle with cheese. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes, or until zucchini boats are golden and bubbling.

Notes

Use my homemade vegan mozzarella cheese for this recipe. (5 min recipe for melty, stretchy, vegan mozzarella). Recipe will keep for 5 days. Store in fridge in air-tight container.

If using cooked lentils, feel free to pulse in your blender/food processor before adding to the sauce for a more "beef" consistency. I prefer to use green lentils, but red and black also work.

Plant-based ground beef filling and vegan mozzarella cheese can be prepped 1-2 days in advance.

Nutritional information is a rough estimate, and was calculated subbing lentils for the plant-based ground beef. Nutritional information is calculated by a third party, and unfortunately plant-based ground beef is not yet a searchable term.