Meatball Zucchini Boats

I love spaghetti + meatballs as much as the next person, but I fall victim to feeling bloated and uncomfortable with too much pasta. This recipe is a healthier spin on classic spaghetti and perfect for a less carb-filled dinner where a veggie takes the place of the pasta. Comfort food meets clean eating!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Makes: 6 servings

3-4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1-2 Tablespoons minced jar garlic)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, plus some for garnish
2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzerella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove ends of zucchini and cut in half the long way. Remove the middle “guts” of the zucchini halves by scoring with a spoon. You should create a “boat” for the meatballs to sit inside.
Place the zucchini boats in a shallow baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and season with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Bake the zucchini boats 12-15 minutes, until mostly tender (I do closer to 12 minutes to keep them a little more firm). Remove from oven and change temp to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the oven preheats, spray a cookie sheet or baking dish with pan spray, and make the meatballs: Mix ground turkey, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl until everything is incorporated.
Roll into 1-1/2-2″ balls and place on/in your baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes until meatballs are lightly browned, or internal temp is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove meatballs from oven and change the temperature to the broil setting on high.
Add cooked meatballs to your zucchini boats so they are full, then top generously with your chosen sauce.
Add the mozzarella cheese to the tops. Broil 3-5 minutes (I do closer to 5 minutes) or until cheese is melted. Garnish with Parmesan and remaining chopped parsley and serve hot.

If you prefer, you may use ground beef instead of ground turkey. You could also use only 1 egg in the meatballs, but they may be a little more dry and fall apart. I just find that 2 eggs really helps them keep their form and stick together better.
If you are gluten free, you also could remove the breadcrumbs and they will still turn out okay, just a little sloppier to work with when forming them into balls.
You can absolutely use fresh garlic cloves, but this is one way I choose to save a little time by using minced garlic in a jar for almost everything.
When you plate, I recommend using a spatula and not tongs for a smooth delivery without compromising the structure of the zucchini boat. I originally tried using tongs and quickly switched to a spatula.

Every time I ask my husband what he thinks when I try a new recipe, I always receive the same answer: “It’s good.” Which then forces me to stare at him blankly until he says more. Because I got so irritated receiving the same response for things that were just kind of “ehh” and for things that were actually delicious, I switched to a rating scale 1-10, with 10 being the best. He rated this an 8.5 because of the flavors, but did say he wished it was heartier (like real spaghetti).

I give it the same rating because I thought it truly was delicious, but it would also not reheat well for leftovers. My family is not into leftovers, so that doesn’t factor in for us, but I know so many of you love leftovers for lunches or dinners later in the week, so I wanted to mention that.

It also does take slightly longer to prepare and make than I prefer on a weeknight, and cleanup isn’t exactly a breeze since there are two baking dishes. However, I do think it’s worth the mess.

This is an especially great meal if you’re looking to “tidy up” your nutrition and focus more on veggies and protein versus a carb based meal, like traditional spaghetti and meatballs.

As always, I hope you enjoy this recommendation! If you want a quick view of how it looks to make it, find me on Instagram and check out the reel below.