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Beef-stuffed zucchini topped with Parmesan in a large baking dish at an outdoor family supper.

Stuffed Zucchini Bake

A rich beef filling sits snugly in zucchini shells rather than disappearing under sauce. As they bake, tomato sauce bubbles around the edges and the Parmesan turns savory and golden.

By Betty Lou Gardner55 minUpdated 2026-08-25

This Stuffed Zucchini Bake is hearty, savory, and filled with tender zucchini shells packed with seasoned beef, vegetables, tomato sauce, breadcrumbs, and melted Parmesan! The zucchini softens just enough while baking to hold all the rich filling together, making it the kind of comforting supper that feels especially good straight from the oven.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

I hollow these out carefully because if the shells get too thin, they fall apart before supper even reaches the table. Sometimes I tuck mozzarella over the tops if I know company’s coming, and this always smells especially good once the tomato sauce starts bubbling around the edges of the pan.

Beef-stuffed zucchini topped with Parmesan in a large baking dish at an outdoor family supper.

How to Make Stuffed Zucchini Bake

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Parboiled zucchini halves hollowed into sturdy shells with the reserved pulp beside them in a vintage kitchen.
01

Prepare the Zucchini Shells

Briefly boil the zucchini, cut them in half, and scoop out the centers while keeping the shells sturdy.

Ground beef, onion, celery, zucchini pulp, breadcrumbs, and tomato sauce being combined in a large skillet.
02

Cook the Filling

Brown the beef with red onion and celery, then stir in the reserved zucchini pulp, breadcrumbs, and tomato sauce.

Zucchini shells filled with the beef mixture and topped with grated Parmesan before baking.
03

Fill and Top the Zucchini

Divide the filling among the six zucchini shells and sprinkle Parmesan over the tops.

Stuffed zucchini halves baking uncovered in a shallow casserole dish until hot and lightly golden.
04

Bake, Rest, and Serve

Bake uncovered until tender, bubbly, and lightly golden, then rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Beef-stuffed zucchini topped with Parmesan in a large baking dish at an outdoor family supper.

Stuffed Zucchini Bake

A rich beef filling sits snugly in zucchini shells rather than disappearing under sauce. As they bake, tomato sauce bubbles around the edges and the Parmesan turns savory and golden.

By Betty Lou Gardner

Prep10 minCook40 minTotal55 minDifficultyEasy
PrintReview

Ingredients

Scale

Scaling note: Scaling is withheld until recipe-specific quantities, method safety, and instruction synchronization are verified.

Stuffed Zucchini

Instructions

  1. 3 medium zucchini, 1 teaspoon butter, salt
  2. 2 teaspoons butter, ¼ cup red onion, ½ cup celery, 1 cup ground beef, reserved zucchini pulp, ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 can tomato sauce, salt, black pepper
  3. ¼ cup Parmesan

Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)

Yield

6 stuffed zucchini halves — Serving size: 1 stuffed zucchini half

Calories
200
Carbohydrates
13 g
Protein
10.5 g
Fat
11.5 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
40 mg
Sodium
360 mg
Fiber
2 g
Total Sugars
5 g

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Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner’s family recipes are preserved in Granny’s Recipe Box.

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