Zucchini Taco Boats

Inspired by Homemade Interest

I saw these pretty TexMex Zucchini Boats from Homemade Interest  and immediately decided that it needed to be one of the recipes I made for my healthy Mexican cooking class at work. I made mine a little differently, of course, as you know I just can’t follow a recipe! I used my Qdoba taco meat and threw in some black beans (which added a soft texture that I just LOVE, along with the healthy protein and fiber from the beans) and a jalapeno to give it a little kick. They struck me as the perfect “make ahead” lunch idea … something you could make on the weekend, then heat up in the microwave during the week. My coworkers agreed they were great for that, and one person even remarked that he’s not much of a zucchini person, but he really liked these!

This filling has just the right blend of zucchini, onion, beans, meat, jalapeno and cheese–it’s not too hot, but it has a nice little zing. You can always drizzle the tops with salsa if you want. I did that some because I love the heat. I tone my recipes down a lot for my friends and family, but if it was just for me, I’d make it “muy caliente”. It was this same filling mixture that inspired my Mexican Taco Lettuce Wraps. I had a little left of the filling left over after stuffing my zucchini so I wrapped it in some lettuce and it was delicious!

Zucchini Taco Boats

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 zucchini boats 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 small/medium zucchini
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 – 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans
• Red Robin Seasoning and/or taco seasoning
• 2 cups pre-cooked taco meat
• about 1 cup shredded Mexican blend of cheeses
• 10 or so cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 jalapeno (or other hot pepper), chopped (or substitute a powdered hot chile)
• Fresh cilantro leaves & salsa

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Instructions

1. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. With a melon baller or grapefruit spoon, scoop out the insides of the zucchini to make a boat shape, leaving about 1/4 inch shell. Chop the insides of the zucchini into small bits.
3. In a medium frying pan, add the oil, then saute the zucchini insides with the garlic, onion, and bell pepper until tender. Add the corn, taco meat and beans and stir to mix. Add jalapeno or powdered chile to taste.
4. Sprinkle the (empty) zucchini boats with Red Robin Seasoning, then fill with the veggie/meat mixture and top with cheese and tomatoes.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until the zucchini has softened and the cheese is melted. Serve with cilantro, salsa, guacamole and/or hot sauce.

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Notes

You may have some extra filling left … use this for lettuce wraps or for filling enchiladas or burritos.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at What to Do Weekends, Weekend Potluck, Munching Monday, Treasure Box Tuesday, Simple Supper Tuesday, Tuesday’s Table, Moonlight & Mason Jars and Hearth & Soul Bloghop.

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