Cheesy Baked Zucchini with Marinara is about to save your weeknight dinner routine. Tender zucchini is topped with rich marinara sauce and baked with melty, bubbly cheese and served as a simple and delicious side dish.
It's low carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, and keto too. The best part? You can have this on the table in just under 30 minutes (including prep!).
We love to find new ways to cook with this summer squash at the peak of its season. Whether that's baking Zucchini Bread, making Zucchini Fritters, or cooking Air Fryer Vegetables. But honestly, baked zucchini with marinara and cheese is one of my favorite ways to cook with it because it's a kid-friendly and loved by the whole family.
Why You'll Love this Cheesy Baked Zucchini
- It's quick and easy. There is not much prep work when it comes to baking this cheesy zucchini. Simply slice the zucchini, season, and roast. Then top with marinara and a cheese mixture and bake again. Plus, you will be ready to bite into one in under 30 minutes, including prep!
- A low-carb side dish. These zucchini boats are low carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, and keto. They are a delicious way to incorporate more vegetable into your diet and the kids even love them!
- The tender and creamy texture. Baking the zucchini like this will transform the texture of the squash into something so tender and creamy — and you won’t even need a knife to cut it!
- The marinara-cheese topping. We top these baked zucchini with marinara sauce and 2 types of cheese for the ultimate comfort. It's basically like a margherita pizza but using zucchini as the crust. So good!
Ingredient Notes
To make this easy Cheesy Baked Zucchini, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- zucchini - I recommend using small zucchini if you can find them, as they will cook evenly and quickly. You could also use 4 medium sized zucchinis but you may need to increase the cook time slightly.
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- cheese - we top these off with a combination of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, because 2 cheeses are better than one! Feel free to use a little more or less to taste.
- Italian seasoning
- marinara sauce - we used our homemade marinara sauce because we always have a batch on hand. Feel free to use store-bought sauce if it's more convenient.
- fresh herbs - optionally, garnish the baked zucchini with fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, or oregano.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, small mixing bowl. and quarter sheet baking pan.
How to Make the Best Cheesy Baked Zucchini
- Season zucchini. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise and line them up on a quarter sheet baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Bake. Bake in a 375 F preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center goes in easily and the zucchini are completely tender.
- Make cheese topping. While zucchini is baking, combine mozzarella, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Assemble. Top each zucchini with about 2 tablespoons marinara sauce, and sprinkle each with an equal amount of the cheese mixture.
- Broil. Broil on high until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs (optional) and serve immediately.
Storing Instructions
- How to store: Allow the baked zucchini to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last for 3-4 days.
- How to reheat: Reheat cheesy zucchini in the microwave in 30 second intervals until warm. You can also reheat them in a 350F oven for 10 minutes or in the air fryer at 350F for 5 minutes. Note that the texture may be a little more mushier than when it was freshly baked, this is because zucchini tends to get mushy the longer it's cooked/reheated.
How to Serve
My favorite way to serve this cheesy baked zucchini is with mixed greens dressed simply with olive oil, salt and pepper. But of course, you can serve this on it's own as an appetizer, as a vegetable side dish with dinner, or even as the main course as a light summer meal.
Some of my favorite recipes to pair with vegetarian zucchini boats are:
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Creamy Parmesan Risotto
- Italian Chicken Skewers
- Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Greek Salmon
- Sweet Kale Salad
More Zucchini Recipes
- Zucchini Fritters
- Zucchini Bites
- Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
- Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
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Recipe
Cheesy Baked Zucchini with Marinara
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Cheesy Baked Zucchini with Marinara will save your weeknight dinner routine (and the kids love it too!). It's low carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, and keto.
Ingredients
- 5 small zucchini, halved lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup mozzarella, shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- fresh herbs, basil, parsley, oregano (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise and line them up on a quarter sheet baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center goes in easily and the zucchini are completely tender.
- While zucchini is baking, combine mozzarella, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Top each zucchini with about 2 tablespoons marinara sauce, and sprinkle each with an equal amount of the cheese mixture.
- Broil on high until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
How to store: Allow the baked zucchini to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last for 3-4 days.
How to reheat: Reheat cheesy zucchini in the microwave in 30 second intervals until warm. You can also reheat them in a 350F oven for 10 minutes or in the air fryer at 350F for 5 minutes. Note that the texture may be a little more mushier than when it was freshly baked, this is because zucchini tends to get mushy the longer it's cooked/reheated.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
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JettieG says
Thank you! I was looking for this type of recipe, not sliced and smothered in sauce. I used salsa and added some Panko for the cheese topping. In the air fryer, it was 16 min at 375F to cook the zukes and about 4 mins for the topping.
Great with chops, spinach salad & garlic toast.
Nashi says
This is a favorite at my house. We add ground beef (or chicken, turkey, etc), since we are very much meat eaters, to the sauce, but the process doesn't change much. The zucchini at the store here is a bit bigger than what is pictured as well, so our version looks a bit more sloppy Joe-ish, with how it ends up slathered, but overall it always is a winner. Best advice I can give is regardless of what you do with this, use either high quality sauce or make your own from scratch. The sauce is the quarterback of the dish.
Dara says
So easy and fresh! I cut the zucchini into thinner slices (quartering them), and the thinner slices were very well received by the family. Cooked faster, too. About 17 mins.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you Dara! So happy you liked the recipe. Great tip on cutting the zucchini thinner!
Kiki Johnson says
YUM this is like a mini trip to the Provence! LOVE that this is gluten-free and low-carb! A total win! This would also be an amazing appetizer!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
It is the perfect appetizer but can work as a light meal or side dish too!
Michelle says
These baked zucchini sound and look delicious! Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Couldn't agree more!