Stuffed Zucchini with Tuna
The zucchini is both the bowl and the vegetable. Halved, hollowed, and pre-baked until just tender, then loaded with tuna, diced bell pepper, red onion, and garlic. A second bake melts cheese over the top.
48g protein and 22g carbs. Seven ingredients, thirty minutes, no starchy base needed.
The zucchini is both the bowl and the vegetable. Halved, hollowed, and pre-baked until just tender, then loaded with tuna, diced bell pepper, red onion, and garlic. A second bake melts cheese over the top.
48g protein and 22g carbs. Seven ingredients, thirty minutes, no starchy base needed.
Ingredients
- zucchini 1
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- red onion 0.25
- bell pepper 1
- garlic 1 clove
- tuna, in water 5 ounces
- grated cheese 1.5 ounces
Method
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Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
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Cut the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the insides with a spoon. Place the zucchini boats on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the zucchini with oil. Bake for 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Finely chop the onion, dice the bell pepper and crush the garlic clove. Mix this with the tuna in a small bowl.
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Take the zucchini out of the oven. Spoon the filling onto them and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake the stuffed zucchini for another 10 minutes in the oven.
Press the tuna between paper towels before mixing it with the vegetables. Canned tuna holds liquid even after draining, and the zucchini boats release their own moisture in the oven. Starting with dry tuna keeps the filling from turning the boats into puddles.
Behind this recipe
Is 48g of protein too much for one meal?
Research has challenged the widely repeated idea that the body can only use 20-30g of protein per meal. When researchers pooled the results of decades of protein studies, they found no biological ceiling where muscle protein synthesis stops responding. The body continued processing protein well past 30g per serving. Whole-food sources like tuna and cheese digest slowly, which gives your system a longer window to put what you ate to work.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use fresh tuna instead of canned?
Yes, but the method changes. Fresh tuna needs to be cooked before going into the boats, which means searing it separately first. Canned tuna is already cooked, so the filling goes straight onto the pre-baked zucchini with no extra step. If you switch to oil-packed tuna, skip the tablespoon of olive oil to keep the fat content similar.
How do I keep the zucchini boats from falling apart?
Leave a wall about 1 cm thick when scooping out the insides. Too thin and the boats collapse under the filling. The 10-minute pre-bake without filling is what gives the zucchini structure. It softens the flesh enough to eat but firms the outer wall. Skip that step and you get raw zucchini under a hot filling.
