Jalapeño Popper Zucchini Boats
Congratulations. Your garden has officially entered the “what the heck am I going to do with all this zucchini?” stage of summer. If you know, you know. You plant a couple of zucchini plants thinking you’ll have a few fresh vegetables for dinner. Then suddenly, you’re checking under leaves every morning because somehow a zucchini the size of your forearm appeared overnight. And once you start finding those little green vegetables hiding all over the garden, you need recipes. Lots of recipes. These jalapeño popper zucchini boats are one of my favorite ways to use up garden zucchini because they are incredibly easy to make, loaded with flavor and just plain delicious. You get tender zucchini filled with a creamy mixture of cream cheese, fresh jalapeños, green onion, crispy bacon and cheddar cheese.
Then the whole thing gets topped with even more cheddar and jalapeño slices before going into the oven.
I’m telling you-
These are good.
Why You’ll Love These Jalapeño Popper Zucchini Boats
These zucchini boats come together with very little effort, which makes them especially nice when you’re standing in the kitchen staring at another basket of zucchini from the garden and wondering how many different ways you can possibly cook it.
The answer is apparently a lot.
Cream cheese gives the filling a rich, creamy base. Fresh jalapeños bring a little heat, while bacon adds that smoky, salty flavor that makes jalapeño poppers so hard to resist. Green onion adds freshness, and freshly shredded cheddar melts all over the top.
Meanwhile, the zucchini gives you a tender vegetable base that keeps the whole dish from feeling as heavy as traditional jalapeño poppers.
The result is a low-carb side dish that’s actually satisfying.
You could serve these alongside grilled chicken, burgers or steak. They also work really well as a light lunch or an easy dinner.
Most importantly, they give you another delicious reason to pick those zucchini before they turn into baseball bats.
Garden Zucchini Season Is No Joke
If you’re growing zucchini, you probably don’t need me to explain this part.
For everyone else, let me paint the picture.
One day, you have a couple of perfectly sized zucchini ready to pick. The next morning, you discover another one hiding underneath a giant leaf. You decide you’ll check again tomorrow.
Bad idea.
Suddenly, you have a zucchini that could double as a small canoe.
Garden zucchini grows fast.
That abundance is wonderful, but it also means you need recipes that make good use of it. I don’t want to spend all summer making the same sautéed zucchini over and over again.
That’s why stuffed zucchini boats are so handy.
You can scoop out the center, fill the zucchini with practically anything delicious and bake it until tender. This version takes one of my favorite appetizer flavors — jalapeño poppers — and turns it into a vegetable dish.
What Are Zucchini Boats?
If you’ve never made zucchini boats before, the name tells you pretty much everything you need to know.
The zucchini gets cut in half lengthwise, then the seeds and some of the center are scooped out. That leaves you with a little zucchini shell that can hold a filling.
For this recipe, we’re filling those zucchini boats with a jalapeño popper-inspired mixture.
The shape also makes them easy to serve. Each zucchini half becomes its own portion, so you don’t need to cut anything once it comes out of the oven.
Just let them cool for a few minutes and serve.
How to Keep Your Zucchini Boats From Getting Watery
Zucchini contains a lot of water.
That’s great when you’re eating fresh zucchini, but it can become a problem when you’re stuffing and baking it. Nobody wants their creamy filling sitting in a puddle of zucchini water.
Fortunately, there is a very easy step that helps.
After you scoop out the zucchini, sprinkle the cut sides with sea salt and let them rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.
The salt draws some of the excess moisture toward the surface.
You’ll notice water collecting on the zucchini. That’s exactly what you want.
Grab a dry paper towel and soak up the moisture before adding your filling.
It only takes a minute, but this little step helps give you a better finished zucchini boat.
Making the Jalapeño Popper Filling
The filling couldn’t be easier.
Start with softened cream cheese and garlic powder. Beat them together with a hand mixer until smooth.
Next comes the good stuff.
Add diced green onion, two diced jalapeños, cooked chopped bacon and half of the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir everything together with a spatula until it’s evenly distributed.
At this point, you should have a creamy, cheesy mixture packed with bacon and jalapeño.
And yes, you are absolutely allowed to taste it.
Technically, you need to make sure your ingredients are seasoned correctly.
That’s my story, anyway.
How Spicy Are Jalapeño Popper Zucchini Boats?
That depends largely on your jalapeños.
Fresh jalapeños can vary quite a bit in heat. Some are fairly mild, while others have enough kick to make you reach for your water glass.
Removing the seeds and inner membranes generally reduces the heat. Leaving more of them intact will give your zucchini boats a little more fire.
This recipe uses two diced jalapeños in the filling and another jalapeño for slices on top.
If you love spicy food, feel free to add more.
On the other hand, if you’re cooking for people who don’t love heat, use mild jalapeños and remove the seeds and membranes.
You can also reduce the amount of jalapeño without changing the rest of the recipe.
The creamy cheese and bacon still give you plenty of flavor.
Don’t Forget the Bacon
Bacon belongs in jalapeño poppers.
The smoky, salty bacon works incredibly well with the cream cheese, cheddar and fresh jalapeños. It also gives the filling a little texture, which keeps every bite interesting.
Cook the bacon until crisp, then chop it into small pieces before adding it to the cream cheese mixture.
You don’t want enormous chunks of bacon taking over the zucchini. Small pieces distribute the flavor throughout the filling.
Freshly Shredded Cheddar Makes a Difference
I recommend freshly shredding the cheddar for these zucchini boats.
Pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but freshly shredded cheddar melts beautifully into the filling and across the top.
You’ll use half of the cheese inside the cream cheese mixture. The other half gets sprinkled over the top before baking.
That gives you creamy cheese throughout the filling and a bubbly, browned layer on top.
The cheese should be golden in spots when the zucchini comes out of the oven.
That’s when you know you’re getting close.
How to Make Jalapeño Popper Zucchini Boats
Start by preheating your oven to 400°F.
While the oven heats, slice two medium zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and enough of the center to create a space for the filling.
Place the four zucchini halves on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the zucchini with sea salt and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
After the zucchini has released some of its moisture, use a dry paper towel to soak it up.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
Beat the softened cream cheese and garlic powder together with a hand mixer. Stir in the diced green onion, two diced jalapeños, cooked chopped bacon and half of the shredded cheddar.
Divide that mixture between the four zucchini boats.
Use a spatula to spread the filling evenly across the zucchini.
Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over each boat, then add a few fresh jalapeño slices on top.
Slide the baking sheet into the oven.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the zucchini has softened slightly and the cheese is melted, bubbly and starting to brown.
Let the zucchini boats cool for about five minutes before serving.
That’s it.
Easy, right?
What to Serve With Jalapeño Popper Zucchini Boats
These make a fantastic side dish for grilled meats.
Serve them with grilled chicken for an easy summer dinner. Burgers work really well, too, especially when you’re already in the backyard grilling.
You could also serve them alongside steak if you’re making dinner for company.
Another option is to make these the main event.
One zucchini half make a pretty satisfying meal when you’re looking for something lighter and low carb. Add a simple salad and you’ve got dinner without a pile of dishes sitting in your sink afterward.
That’s always a good thing.
Are Jalapeño Popper Zucchini Boats Low Carb?
Yes.
Zucchini is naturally low in carbohydrates, and this recipe doesn’t contain breadcrumbs, flour or other traditional ingredients that would significantly increase the carbohydrate count.
The filling is made with cream cheese, bacon, cheddar, jalapeños, green onion and garlic powder.
As a result, these zucchini boats make a great option when you’re looking for a low-carb zucchini recipe that doesn’t feel like you’re eating a boring plate of steamed vegetables.
Because if I’m going to eat zucchini for the tenth time this summer, I want it to taste good.
Can You Prepare These Ahead of Time?
You can do some of the prep ahead of time, which makes this recipe even easier for busy nights.
Cook and chop the bacon in advance. You can also prepare the cream cheese filling earlier in the day and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the zucchini.
When you’re ready to cook, scoop out the zucchini, salt it, remove the excess moisture and fill the boats.
Then bake as directed.
I wouldn’t assemble them too far in advance because the zucchini will continue releasing moisture, but a little advance preparation works.
What to Do With the Scooped-Out Zucchini
Don’t throw away the zucchini you scoop from the centers.
That part can absolutely be used.
Add it to soups, stir it into scrambled eggs, toss it into a vegetable sauté or save it for zucchini bread. You can even freeze chopped zucchini for future recipes.
Garden vegetables are too valuable to waste.
Besides, if your garden is producing zucchini faster than your family can eat it, you might as well find as many uses for every bit as possible.
A Great Recipe for Zucchini Season
Garden zucchini can be both a blessing and a challenge.
At first, you’re thrilled to see those little green vegetables developing on the plants. Then production ramps up and suddenly you’re giving zucchini to neighbors, leaving it on the front porch and searching your kitchen for another container because the refrigerator is already full.
These jalapeño popper zucchini boats are one of my favorite zucchini boat recipes.
They’re easy, low carb, loaded with bacon, cheese and jalapeños.
And most importantly, they don’t taste like an obligatory attempt to use up vegetables.
So congratulations on your garden full of zucchini.
And if you still have another basket of zucchini waiting on the counter tomorrow?
Don’t worry.
I have a recipe for that too!
Nashville Hot Zucchini Boats
Korean Beef Zucchini Boats
Hawaiian Kalua Pork Zucchini Boats
Fried Zucchini
Jalapeno Popper Zucchini Boats
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Ingredients
- 2 Medium sized zucchinis
- 2 tsp Sea salt
- 1 8oz package Cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 Green onion, diced
- 3 Jalapenos
- 1/2 pound Bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Slice the zucchinis in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds to make a fillable boat. Place them on a foil lined sheet pan.
- Salt the zucchini and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes to draw out the excess water.
- Soak up the water from the zucchini with a dry paper towel.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and garlic powder with a hand mixer.
- With a spatula, mix in the diced green onions, 2 diced jalapenos, cooked bacon, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Divide the cream cheese filling evenly among the 4 boats and smooth out the top with the spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and a few jalapeno slices to each zucchini boat.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the zucchini is softened slightly and the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browning.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
