Just like classic enchiladas, still full of amazing flavors but without all the carbs!
When it comes to dinnertime I really try my best to go low-carb. I used to find this very difficult. I’ve slowly realized there are tons of ways to cut out a lot of carbs for dinner. Vegetables are surprisingly a great substitute. For example, zoodles or spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Lettuce wraps instead of flour tortillas. Cauliflower rice instead of white/brown rice. Cauliflower crust instead of regular pizza crust. My newest favorite is zucchini boats!
Zucchini boats are super customizable. Zucchini doesn’t have a strong flavor so you can essentially stuff them with anything! I was craving enchiladas so I went with a Mexican theme for this recipe.
I used lean ground turkey for my protein in these. Shredded chicken or quinoa would also be really good!
Enchilada Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/3 cup yellow onion diced
- 1/2 cup diced fire roasted tomatoes (from the can)
- 1/2-3/4 cup kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup corn
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce (I got Sky Valley brand from Whole Foods) divided
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar or pepper-jack cheese optional
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped cilantro for topping
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
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Cut tips off ends of zucchinis, and then cut the zucchinis in half, lengthwise & carefully spoon the middle of the zucchini out
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Place zucchini in a glass pan with about an inch of water covering the bottom of the pan - cover in foil, and bake for about 18-20 minutes, let cool when done and remove the water
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While zucchini is baking, add oil and garlic to a pan on medium heat, then add ground turkey and chopped onion
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Once turkey is almost browned, add 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce to the turkey mixture, as well as, fire roasted tomatoes, corn, beans, paprika, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste, you can also add some fresh lime juice if you would like
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Bring to a simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes
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Add the other 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to the bottom of the pan and divide the turkey/veggie mixture evenly in each boat, you’ll probably have extra of the mixture, I put it in the sauce around the boats - Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes
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If you are adding cheese, top with zucchini boats and broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted
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Let cool, feel free to add chopped cilantro, fresh lime, or chopped avocado!
Lauren
I loved tHiS recipe so much We cooked it twice within a week and a half. First Time i dOn’t thiNk i had enough waTer in When cooking the zUcc So They were pretty hard. Second time i made sure to pUt a little more water in and cooked them longer.
My partner is Vegetarian and it is really siMple for us to do the prep in two smaller pans so I have ground turkey and he doesn’t.
We also like to add bell pepper. It’s really easy to customize this however you want! So amazing!
Also, don’t Be like me—when i went To get more sauce at TJs i drOpped it and made a huge mess everywhere. Glass from the bottle even got in the cashier’s shoes.