Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Fresh zucchini are stuffed with a flavorful mixture of minced vegetables, smoky seasonings, and protein-rich chickpeas! A velvety vegan cheese sauce finishes these zucchini boats off with a bang. 

I was lucky enough to grow up with a vegetable garden in the backyard. To this day, the crisp spice of cherry belle radishes and flavor of fresh curly parsley take me right back to those long summer evenings. 

A star among these vegetable memories: fresh zucchini! Most years, it grew prolifically, soaking up the rains of summer storms and seeming to triple in size overnight. Thankfully, there always seemed to be more zucchini recipes than we knew what to do with.

Lately, these stuffed zucchini boats have become my new favorite way to enjoy fresh zucchini, and summertime is the perfect time to take advantage of their abundance! They’re filled with a delightful mixture of vegetables, chickpeas, herbs, and spices, then topped with a savory vegan cheese sauce.

Whether your summer squash comes courtesy of your local farmer’s market, grocery store, or home garden, this stuffed zucchini recipe is one great way to turn the humble veggie into a whole meal. 

Ingredients for Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats

• Whole zucchini - You’ll need two whole, large zucchini to make your boats. You can use either green or yellow zucchini here, or other varieties such as striped or Lebanese (pale green) if you should be so lucky!
• Olive oil - For sautéing your veggie filling before stuffing your zucchini. You can also use vegetable oil here or a neutral seed oil like grapeseed or avocado. 
• Chopped white onion - I used one whole small white onion. An equal amount of yellow onion will work great too! 
• Minced garlic - Adds a ton of great flavor to your stuffed zucchini filling. I used 3 whole moderately sized cloves, so you may need a bit more if your cloves are small. 
• Diced red bell pepper - I love the sweet, juicy flavor of red bell pepper plus the pop of color it provides to the filling!  
• Seasonings: salt, black pepper onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder - All of these spices work together to create the most perfect flavor profile for this stuffed zucchini recipe. Salt and black pepper are basic enhancers, onion powder adds a savory note, cumin for an earthy nuttiness, smoked paprika for a pleasantly sharp smoky hit, and chili powder for just the right dose of heat. 
• Rice vinegar - Has a sweeter, more mild flavor as compared to other types of vinegar. If you don’t have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar are your next best options. 
• Soy sauce - Adds a kick of salt to your zucchini filling plus a rich, fermenty funk that ups the complexity of the flavor profile. 
• Coconut milk - To make the filling mixture a bit more rich and moisture. I think coconut milk offers the best texture and taste here, but almond, cashew, or soy milk would also work well. Whichever type of plant based milk you choose, make sure it is unsweetened and unflavored.
• Tomato paste - An umami-rich ingredient that delivers tomato-forward flavor as well as helps to thicken and bind the filling. 
• Organic brown sugar - A touch of sweetness to balance out all of the savory, smoky, spicy flavor notes. Some regular brown sugars are processed using animal ingredients, so always buy organic sugar products in order to avoid this. 
• Hot sauce - Though we have a few spicy seasonings already in the mix, I find that hot sauce delivers a different note of heat and tang. I like Tabasco or Cholula, and both brands are vegan.
• Canned chickpeas - These creamy, nutty legumes add a great flavor, increase the protein content, and make these zucchini boats into a meal! Make sure to drain and rinse your chickpeas under cool running water before tossing them into the mix.
• Vegan cheese sauce - A creamy, velvety, cheesy sauce that finishes these boats off just right! It’s quick and easy to mix up--see below for the recipe.
• Fresh herbs - For garnish. I’ll use whatever herbs I have on hand like chopped parsley, cilantro, or fresh basil for an extra summery kick.

How to Prepare Vegan Cheese Sauce 

You can prepare the cheese sauce while your filling is cooking, but I like to do it ahead of time so it is ready to go when I need it.

1. Combine the following in a small saucepan over low-medium heat:

• ¾ cup coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 Tbsp tapioca flour
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 pinch smoked paprika

2. Whisk the ingredients together and warm gently until the sauce is thick and cohesive. Set aside until ready to use.

How to Make Vegan Stuffed Zucchini 

First, Make the Zucchini Boats: 

1. Cut. Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise. 
2. Score. Use a paring knife to carefully score the flesh (the cut surface) of each zucchini half in a cross hatch pattern. This will make it easier to scoop out. 
3. Scoop. Use a metal spoon to scoop and scrape the flesh out of the zucchini. You don’t need to get every last bit of flesh out of the skin--I actually recommend leaving a layer of flesh about ½-inch thick. Reserve the flesh that you scoop out. 
4. Repeat. Cut, score, and scoop the remaining zucchini halves and then set them aside while you make the filling. Chop the zucchini flesh a bit so that it is fairly even. 

Next, Cook the Filling:

5. Cook onion. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes. 
6. Add garlic. Add minced garlic and stir. 
7. Add red pepper. Add diced red bell pepper and stir. 
8. Add zucchini. Add the reserved chopped zucchini pulp and stir. 
9. Season. Season the veggie mixture with spices and seasonings: salt, black pepper onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Stir to combine.  
10. Add liquid ingredients. Stir in all of the liquid ingredients: rice vinegar, soy sauce, coconut milk, tomato paste, brown sugar, and hot sauce. These work together to turn your cooked veggies into a saucy, delicious filling! 
11. Cover and cook. Stir well, then put the lid on the skillet and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the ingredients are not sticking to the bottom of the skillet. 
12. Add chickpeas. Remove the lid, add drained & rinsed chickpeas and stir. Continue cooking for a few more minutes until warmed through, then remove your filling from the heat and set aside. 

Now, Fill and Bake the Boats:

13. Setup. Preheat the oven to 410℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange your zucchini boats on a broad work surface with the cooked filling and prepared vegan cheese sauce nearby. 
14. Stuff. Stuff each zucchini half with the cooked filling mixture. I usually spoon the mixture into each boat and then use my hands to press it in gently so that it doesn’t fall out. Transfer the filled zucchini boats to your prepared baking sheet. 
15. Top and bake. Top each zucchini boat with some of the vegan cheese sauce, then bake them in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes.
16. Garnish and serve. Garnish each zucchini boat with chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, parsley, or cilantro) and serve! 

Watch Us Make Vegan Stuffed Zucchini 

Chef Tips 

If you are considering yellow zucchini for these boats, be sure you haven’t picked up yellow crookneck squash by mistake! They are often right next to the green zucchini in grocery stores, but they are indeed a different type of squash. Yellow zucchini look just like green zucchini except they have a rich golden-yellow coloring, while crookneck squash are yellow with a bulb shape at one end and a thin neck at the other. 

When cooking a recipe with a lot of ingredients such as this, it pays to invest a bit of extra time in the setup. There is a French culinary phrase “mise en place” which translates to “everything in place”, meaning that before you start cooking--get all of your ingredients out, make sure you have everything, and do any chopping and prep work. Professional chefs use this concept to stay organized, even when tackling the most complicated of recipes, and now you're in on it too!

How to Store 

Refrigerating. Leftover stuffed zucchini boats keep best when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and will last for up to 4 days. 

Freezing. Zucchini boats freeze really well. I like to individually wrap them in plastic wrap or foil and then place them all in a large freezer bag before freezing. They will be good for up to 3 months. 

Thawing. Allow your frozen vegan zucchini boats to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheating. Stuffed zucchini boats can be reheated in the oven or microwave.

• To reheat in the oven: preheat your oven to 350℉. Place zucchini boats on a baking sheet and heat for about 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
• To reheat in the microwave: place zucchini boats on a microwavable safe plate and heat for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. 

If you are reheating previously frozen zucchini boats, I recommend whipping up a fresh batch of cheese sauce to top them with as some of it will inevitably be stuck to the plastic wrap or aluminum foil you wrapped them in.

📋 Recipe