Cheesy Baked Zucchini with Marinara

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

1. 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.

2. 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. 
3. Make cheese topping. While zucchini is baking, combine mozzarella, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. 
4. Assemble. Top each zucchini with about 2 tablespoons marinara sauce, and sprinkle each with an equal amount of the cheese mixture.

5. Broil. Broil on high until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs (optional) and serve immediately.

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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