Low Carb & Keto Zucchini Boats

female hands holding plate with two keto zucchini boats

Zucchini are hollowed out and filled with a delicious ground beef filling, then baked with lots of yummy cheese. A great healthy family meal!

This recipe is THM S, gluten free, grain free, low carb and keto friendly.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings

Calories 382kcal

Author Nora

Ingredients

6 small-medium zucchini
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 finely diced onion about 1/3 cup
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pound ground beef see notes for alternatives
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
ground pepper to taste
1 (15oz) can unseasoned tomato sauce
2 cups shredded cheese I used Mozzarella and Parmesan; Gouda would work well, too

Instructions

To prepare the zucchini:
Wash zucchini, then slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out flesh and set aside (you'll need it for the filling later). Place zucchini halves on a sheet pan.
Cook the beef:
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until translucent, then add the beef and brown well. Stir in the tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper.
Finish the filling:
Add tomato sauce to pan and stir well. Chop zucchini flesh and stir into the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Stuff zucchini and bake:
Heat oven to 360°F. Spoon filling in zucchini halves. Top evenly with cheese and bake around 20 minutes until bubbly.

Notes

Please note: Nutrition is an estimate. Make sure to check the nutrition facts for your exact ingredients, and make sure all ingredients are labelled gluten free if needing to avoid gluten for medical reasons. I do my best to provide accurate descriptions, but I'm not a medical professional.

Online calculators calculate 5g NET carbs per serving (2 zucchini boats) for this recipe.

Cooking tips

skip the onions and substitute onion powder to cut further carbs
the sauce should be quite thick so it stays in the zucchini, if it's watery (depends on the brand of tomato sauce) simmer it a little longer with the lid off
you can substitute any ground meat - pork, beef, a mix or ground turkey for an extra-lean version

Nutrition