Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the centre portion of flesh from each half and place it into a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Put your hollowed zucchini onto the baking sheet.
Add the yellow pepper, celery, red onion, parsley, feta and half of the quantity of cheddar cheese into the food processor. Secure the lid and pulse to chop. Transfer chopped ingredients into a medium-sized bowl.
Add the tuna, cherry tomatoes and mayonnaise. Stir everything together and taste. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Using a small scoop or spoon, add the mixture onto the zucchini halves, portioning it out evenly.
Combine the remaining cheddar cheese with the Parmesan. Sprinkle over the filled zucchini boats. Transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese and melted and is bubbling. Serve immediately.
Looking for a quick and delicious meal? Climb aboard our TUNA ZUCCHINI BOATS, ready in just 30 minutes.
We receive lots of requests for recipes with canned tuna, and this one never ceases to amaze me. It gets top marks for being so cheesy and delicious, but I also like how it couldn’t be easier to make, again and again. One more claim to fame: kids like it too!
When you first bite into these TUNA ZUCCHINI BOATS, you’ll notice how fresh they taste. This goes to the process – there are no advance steps. Simply carve the boats, fill ’em, bake ’em and serve. Don’t dither!
For those of you planning a cottage weekend in the near future, print off the recipe and keep it handy; this is one meal you don’t want to miss. PIN the recipe to a favourite board or BOOKMARK the page for easy future reference.
One look at the photo of the ingredients should get you thinking about options. The zucchini, tuna and cheese are the only things I regard as essential ingredients. After that, feel free to play around with the fillers. That’s the beauty of this recipe – if you’re like me, you’ll simply grab whatever you have on hand to create something scrumptious. Get to it!
I was going to be all cutesy and title the post Tuna Zucchini Canoes seeing that it’s ALL about this authentic cottage experience… LOL! Crafting the “boats” for the recipe is super easy and I like working with the zucchini for this purpose. My one suggestion is to use medium-sized zucchini – they seem to hold their shape better once cooked.
I love when “ah ha” moments happen, especially if I’m in the kitchen. I went to grab a spoon to fill my boats, opened the wrong drawer and it hit me, “Hello, mini ice cream scoop!” This kitchen utensil works perfectly for transferring the filling to the boats. I’ve listed a link to purchase below.
You’ve probably already noticed this but… there’s lots of cheese. Using a two-cheese combination for the top gives the TUNA ZUCCHINI BOATS an appetizing appearance and keeps the filling creamy and gooey while it bakes. As soon as you serve them everyone will immediately want to dig in.
When you do serve this satisfying main, perfect for lunch, brunch or dinner, how about some additional suggestions? Our CRUNCHY ASIAN SLAW tastes really delish next to it, as does our classic COTTAGE SALAD. For dessert, let’s put that mini ice-cream scoop back to work to create our decadent DELICIOUS GELATO SUNDAES.
Sink your teeth into our ship of drools – these TUNA ZUCCHINI BOATS are it!
CLICK THE IMAGE to PIN it to a board!