Stuffed full of meat, veggies, and melted cheese, the keto zucchini boats are perfectly seasoned, delicious, and ready in less than 10 minutes.
“Adding this to the menu for next week - I love stuffed zucchini boats, and my recipe usually has breadcrumbs. this is so much better!”
Recipe Overview
Zucchini boats always remind me of summer, when garden zucchini is in full harvest and I need to come up with interesting ways to cook it all.
This recipe is a delicious, low carb, keto friendly way to enjoy zucchini any time of the year.
Stuff your zucchini with meats, seasonings, vegetables, and cheese. You’ll have a filling and irresistible meal that you’ll find yourself making over and over again.
The air fryer allows you to cook zucchini so fast too. Your Keto dinner will be ready in no time.
Not interested in a Keto recipe right now? Try our traditional Zucchini Boats instead!
Ingredients
- Zucchini – Choose medium zucchini for this recipe so that they fit well inside of the air fryer.
- Oil – Use your favorite light flavored oil to saute the vegetables.
- Onion – Diced finely to blend in with the meat.
- Bell Pepper – I like green peppers in this recipe, but any color will work.
- Ground Beef – any ground protein is delicious in this recipe. Try it with vegetarian crumbles, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
- Italian Seasoning – I almost always add this herb blend to zucchini
- Paprika – This adds warmth and color to the filling.
- Garlic – Minced garlic adds a ton of flavor.
- Tomatoes – I use fresh tomatoes in a medium dice. In a pinch you could use drained canned tomatoes
- Mozzarella Cheese – This cheese melts beautifully on top of the zucchini.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
Steps to make
- In a skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Then saute the onion and bell pepper until soft.
- Add the ground meat to the pan with the peppers and onions and cook until browned. Then add the garlic, spices, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- Cut the zucchini into halves. Scoop the centers of the zucchini out and discard.
- Evenly distribute the skillet mixture into the zucchini boats. Place the zucchini boats into the air fryer basket or air fryer tray.
- Air Fry at 350F/176C for 8 minutes. Then top with cheese and air fry for an additional 2 minutes.
Frequent Pairings
You can serve your favorite Keto Side dishes with these, or just eat them on their own.
Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms would be a yummy keto side.
Use this Air Fryer Chicken Wing Dry Rub to make the most amazing chicken wings ever.
Make thick, juicy, restaurant style burgers with our Air Fryer Hamburger recipe.
Serve this in the summer with a nice fresh green salad with a simple vinaigrette.
Tips and Tricks
- I cooked the halved zucchini for 3-4 minutes in the microwave before I stuffed them, which makes them more tender. This cooked them about halfway, and ensured that they finished cooking in the air fryer.
- Making these zucchini boats in the air fryer ensures that they will not get wet and soggy like they can if you bake them in the oven. For extra crisp, add an extra minute to the very end of cooking so that they cheese browns nicely.
Keto Air Fryer Zucchini Boats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Zucchini medium
- 2 T Oil
- 1 c Onion diced
- 1 c Bell Pepper diced
- 1 lb Ground protein beef, chicken, vegetarian
- 1 T Italian Seasoning
- 1 t Minced Garlic
- 1.5 c Fresh Tomatoes diced
- 1 c Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into halves. Scoop the centers of the zucchini out and discard.
- Optional: Heat the zucchini in the microwave for 3-4 minutes to help soften. I prefer this, especially for large thicker zucchini.
- In a skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Then saute the onion and bell pepper until soft. Add in the protein and cook until browned.
- Add in the spices and minced garlic.
- Then, add in the diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- Evenly distribute the skillet mixture into the zucchini boats. Place the zucchini boats into the air fryer basket or air fryer tray.
- Air Fry at 350F/176C for 8 minutes. Then top with cheese and air fry for an additional two minutes.
Notes
- The cook time will depend on the size of your zucchini, large and thick zucchini will take longer. It is easier to microwave them to get a hard start on the cooking process. Alternatively, you could cook the zucchini (without the stuffing) in the air fryer for 5 minutes.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
Nutrition Information
Adding this to the menu for next week – I love stuffed zucchini boats, and my recipe usually has breadcrumbs. this is so much better!