Taco Stuffed Zucchini

You bought a bunch of zucchini, now let's make sure you cook it.

Taco Stuffed Zucchini, recipe and photo by me, Anna Vocino

How many times have you bought some amazing produce and then tossed it because it languished in the fridge, never to see the light of day?

FIRST AND FOREMOST: if you haven’t heard/watched my interview with Amy Cross of The Cross Legacy, she will school you on how to wash and store your produce for 3-4 times longer than it normally keeps.

OK onto the main event.

This recipe for Taco Stuffed Zucchini is an easy one (yay) with ingredients you probably regularly buy at the store and may even have on hand (double yay).

I make this recipe in this Cosori Air Fryer, which I love to use when I don’t feel like cranking up the oven. But I’ve included instructions for both the air fryer and the oven. I would never leave out my non-air-fryer stans.

As always, you don’t have to buy Eat Happy Kitchen Taco Seasoning to make this recipe.

But why wouldn’t you? It’s the best!

You can use any taco seasoning that you prefer…either make it homemade (recipe in Eat Happy cookbook) or store-bought (make sure you check the label for no sugar and grains added).

I love to use the highest level percentage of fat in the ground beef that I’m able to. If you find an 80/20 blend, that’s great. I do not drain the grease after browning the meat because I use that fat to help spread the taco seasoning evenly over the meat. If you want to drain the meat, feel free to, but do it before adding your taco seasoning so you don’t waste it, and add a few tablespoons of water to help it dissolve in the meat.

Don’t be afeard of garnishing with extra goodness you may have in the pantry or fridge: add pepitas, toasted nuts, green onions, cilantro, salsa, etc to your heart’s content.

Ok, let’s DO THIS…As always, here’s the downloadable, printable PDF.

TACO STUFFED ZUCCHINI (Air Fryer or Oven)

(Serves 4)

• 4 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise

• Salt and pepper

• 1 pound ground beef

• 2 tablespoons Eat Happy Kitchen Taco Seasoning, plus extra for garnish

• 3/4 cup Colby Jack cheese

• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, diced

• Sour cream, for garnish

• Tapatio, for garnish, if you like spicy

Air Fryer Instructions:

Scoop out the innards of zucchini halves and discard the innards (or save to use for Dairy Free Ranch in Eat Happy Too). Lay the zucchini shells on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes and then dab dry any excess water that’s released from the “sweating” of the zucchini shells.

Preheat the air fryer. Lay the zucchini shells skin-side-down in the air fryer and cook them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, flat-bottomed sauté pan on medium high heat, cook the ground beef until browned thoroughly, breaking the beef up into small pieces. Add the Taco Seasoning and stir to mix until the seasoning is absorbed into the meat. Remove the beef from from the heat.

Remove the zucchini shells from air fryer, evenly add cheese to the shells and place back in air fryer at 400 degrees for 2 more minutes until cheese is melted. Plate the cheese-covered zucchini shells, then fill them with the taco meat and garnish with the avocado slices, chopped cherry tomatoes, sour cream, and Tapatio if desired. Serve.

Oven instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scoop out the innards of zucchini halves and discard. Lay the zucchini shells on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes and then dab dry any excess water that’s released from the “sweating” of the zucchini shells. Lay the zucchini shells skin-side-down on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, flat-bottomed sauté pan on medium high heat, cook the ground beef until browned thoroughly, breaking the beef up into small pieces. Add the Taco Seasoning and stir to mix until the seasoning is absorbed into the meat. Remove the beef from from heat.

Remove the zucchini shells from the oven, then evenly add the cheese to the shells and place back in oven for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Plate the cheese-covered zucchini shells, then fill them with the taco meat and garnish with the avocado slices, chopped cherry tomatoes, sour cream, and Tapatio if desired. Serve.