Buffalo Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Use up your zucchinis with Buffalo Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats — the perfect blend of ranch, buffalo sauce, and cheesy goodness! Easy and perfect for 6.

A buffalo zucchini boat recipe you’ll want to try ASAP

Zucchini is one of those ingredients that I just don’t eat enough of! For some reason I tend to overlook it in my cooking, despite the fact that it’s such a versatile vegetable. It can be used in so many ways — in salads, as “noodles,” in breads and muffins, heck… you can even use it to make brownies!

But there’s one way to use zucchini that’s extra delicious, savory, and filling: stuffed zucchini boats! So, that’s exactly what we’re making today. And these aren’t just regular zucchini boats, they’re buffalo turkey stuffed zucchini boats!

We’re using plain ground turkey and taking the flavor up a notch with a blend of buffalo sauce, Greek yogurt, and ranch dressing. It creates an undeniably tasty result. The recipe yields 6 servings, so it’s great for the whole family (and super easy to double if needed)!

Ingredients in buffalo turkey zucchini boats

Zucchini boats with ground turkey go heavy on the flavor, let me tell you. We’ll start with a garlic an onion mixture, followed by the sauce-heavy turkey. Load up the zucchinis, top them with cheddar cheese, and you’ll be in love!

• Zucchinis: First up, you’ll need 3 large zucchinis. These will create 6 servings.
• Avocado oil: 1 tbsp of avocado oil will be used to sauté the onion.
• Onion: Add 1 small onion for a great taste! I recommend a yellow onion, diced into small pieces.
• Garlic: Add 2 cloves of minced garlic for lots of flavor.
• Turkey: 1 lb of ground turkey is the perfect amount for stuffing the zucchini boats.
• Buffalo sauce: To flavor up the turkey, use 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce. You can use store bought or make your own with my creamy vegan buffalo sauce recipe!
• Greek yogurt: Then, 1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt will cut the heat while maintaining the flower and thickening up the filling.
• Ranch: Finally, add 1/4 cup of ranch dressing as the final sauce.
• Cheese: 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese will be used to top the 6 zucchini boats.
• Cilantro: Optionally add fresh cilantro as a tasty topping!

Tools used to create this recipe

You’ll need a variety of kitchen items to make this zucchini boat recipe. Start with a 9×13 casserole dish and nonstick spray, followed by a cutting board, knife, spoon, large pan or skillet, and strainer.

For measuring, you will need the following sized cups: 1 tbsp, 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup.

How to make buffalo stuffed zucchini boats

Stuffed zucchini with ground turkey is ready in around 50 minutes. We’ll start by prepping the zucchinis and sautéing the onions, and then we’ll brown the turkey and fill the boats. Don’t forget to top with cheese and optionally garnish with cilantro, buffalo sauce, and ranch!

To begin, preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Next, cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center seeds to create a “boat” in the zucchini. Discard the seeds.

Heat the avocado oil in a large pan. Add the diced onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess liquid.

Next, add the buffalo sauce, Greek yogurt, and ranch dressing to the pan and stir to combine with the turkey.

Evenly divide the turkey mixture into the zucchini boats and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the zucchini is fork tender.

Remove from the oven and top with cilantro, more buffalo sauce, and extra ranch if desired!

Zucchini boat add on ideas

Looking for extra ingredients to add to your boats? Try these! Double up on the cheese, add extra crunch with green peppers, or heat things up with a jalapeño!

• Green onions
• Mozzarella or pepper jack cheese
• Green pepper (diced very fine)
• Jalapeño (remove seeds if you don’t want a lot of heat)
• Blue cheese dressing (I would swap for ranch)

Recipe tips and ingredient options

Switching up this recipe is easy! If you’re wondering about swaps, here are some commonly used substitutes that you can try.

Type of turkey
Any type of ground turkey will work in this recipe! I usually go with 99% lean, but feel free to use whatever you prefer!

Using beef or chicken
You can easily sub turkey with ground beef or chicken, or use your favorite Italian sausage.

Switching the sauce
Some people aren’t buffalo sauce people, and I get that! If that’s you, you can swap the buffalo, ranch, and yogurt mixture for your favorite pasta or marinara sauce. You may need to use a smaller amount. If going this route, I recommend mozzarella cheese in place of cheddar!

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

Are you a buffalo sauce lover like me? If so, you’re in luck! Try my infamous buffalo recipes, from buff chic casserole and dip to meatballs and soup!

• Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Casserole
• Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Creamy Buffalo Chicken Soup

Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Quarter Soul Crisis

Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Quarter Soul Crisis