Cheeseburger Zucchini Boats
We are definitely burger people, in fact, my husband’s last meal would be a good burgers and fries. But having burgers all the time isn’t the best for our health so I wanted to make it something I could feel good about. Enter the zucchini boat, it is so versatile, you can add almost any flavor to it. So I went with the classic burger, a little cheese, some onions, and of course some “special sauce”. And the best part is that these babies are low carb and gluten free! Below are options to make it perfect for you and your family!
Vegan - use either plant-based meat or chopped mushrooms combined with some brown rice or quinoa. Sprinkle your favorite vegan cheese on top.
Dairy free - swap dairy cheese for plant-based cheese
Whole30 - leave off the cheese and use sugar-free ketchup
No red meat - turkey would be a great swap for the beef
This is also so great for parties, people will love the flavor and keeping their health in mind. Wanna be extra? Throw some bacon in the mix….
Cheeseburger Zucchini Boats
4 large zucchini
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
oil, salt and pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons relish
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- Preheat the oven to 400. While the oven heats up, split the zucchini in half, lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
- Drizzle the oil over the halves, cut side up, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes
- While the zucchini is in the oven, cook the beef and onions with salt and pepper to season in a large skillet on medium-high heat until all cooked through.
- In a small bowl, mix the ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, and mustard until all combined. Spoon 1/2 cup of the sauce into the meat mixture and combined.
- Spoon hamburger mixture into the zucchini boats, top with shredded cheese and place back into the oven for 10-12 minutes.
- When they are done, drizzle with additional sauce and top with some shredded iceberg lettuce.
Only a few ingredients for the boats and they are so good!
Grab a spoon and a bowl to scrape out the seeds of the zucchini, leaving a border.
Just a little time and this ensures it isn’t watery
A little oil, salt, and pepper before these are in the oven!
While the zucchini is in the oven. cook that ground beef and onions. Again a little salt and pepper is all you need to season this.
This is the simplest “special sauce” and it cannot be easier, put it in a bowl and mix.
Looks legit, right?!
Grab all the parts and get assembling!
Here are the zucchini that have softened a little in the oven.
Now pour some of that special sauce into the meat and onions, this gives it great flavor and allows it to kind of stick together in the boats.
Stir it up!
Spoon that meat mixture into the boats
Ready for the cheeeeeeessssseeee
Sprinkle it on each boat, this is the perfect task for little hands!
Ready for the oven. That’s it!
Ready for their accessories! A little lettuce and more of the special sauce!
