Air fryer zucchini boats
Tender zucchini halves stuffed with a saucy Italian beef filling and bubbling mozzarella, a light dinner for two in 30 minutes.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $3.73 a serving
- 390 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 zucchini
- 8 oz 90/10 ground beef
- ¼ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 390 calories, 35 g protein, 17 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.73 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No zucchini? Yellow squash works.
- No 90/10 ground beef? 85/15 ground beef works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the seedy middles with a spoon, leaving a ¼-inch wall. the scooped-out flesh.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Dolly’s tip: A small spoon works best. Go gently near the ends so the boats don’t split.Heat a medium over medium-high and cook the beef and onion 6 to 7 minutes, breaking up the beef, until no pink is left.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 6 min 30 sec
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Add the zucchini, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the zucchini . Stir in the marinara.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Heat the air fryer to 375°F for 3 minutes.
Pack the filling into the zucchini boats and top with the mozzarella and parmesan.
Air fry 10 to 12 minutes, in batches if needed, until the zucchini is tender when poked and the cheese is browned.
Timer: 11 min
Scatter basil over the top and serve.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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