Stuffed Zucchini Boats are filled with Italian sausage and tomatoes. They are a delish go-to healthy dinner idea.
Zucchini boats are flavorful, low-carb and have so many amazing variations. Topped with cheese, parsley and bread crumbs, you can’t go wrong with this zucchini dish.
For more zucchini recipes, check out our: Fried Zucchini, Zucchini Tots or Zucchini Casserole.
Stuffed Zucchini
We found another dinner recipe we love!!!
Recently, the hubby and I have been trying to eat a little better and have been increasing the amount of protein and veggies we eat while attempting to lessen the amount of carbs we have.
We’ve always loved Zucchini (hello, Fried Zucchini and Parmesan Zucchini) but had it more as a side dish. We wanted to try making Stuffed Zucchini Boats to make it more of a dinner idea and used Italian sausage and traditional Ragu sauce, and it was amazing!
I knew we’d have to add cheese because my husband is slightly obsessed so that’s what we did. We topped it off with Mozzarella cheese, garlic salt and basil.
The result?? A SUPER simple and super yummy dinner recipe that I will definitely be adding to the rotation!
How to Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats
These Stuffed Zucchini Boats are easy to make but take just a little bit of time.
SCOOP. Spoon out the interior flesh from each zucchini (leave skin on). Be sure to keep this because we’ll need it to fill the boats later.
FILLING. Cook up sausage in a medium pan with olive oil. Add your spices, the zucchini flesh (that was scooped out) and tomatoes.
BAKE. From there you will spoon this mixture into your zucchini boats (which should be in a 9×13 pan). Top with breadcrumbs and cheese and bake for 20-22 minutes.
Note: If you want even more flavor, add your favorite tomato sauce/pizza sauce to your meat to make the dish even better!
Variations + Storing Tips
There are so many ways to change up these zucchini boats! This is a bit of an Italian version with the Italian sausage, tomatoes, breadcrumbs and cheeses. Here are some more ideas on how to change up these stuffed zucchinis.
- Zucchini Taco Boats – hamburger meat, chili powder, cumin, cheese, olives, tomatoes, avocados
- Zucchini Lasagna Boats – Ricotta, Mozzarella, & Parmesan cheeses, beef, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning
- Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats – chicken, garlic, marinara, cheeses and basil
- Zucchini Burrito Boats – beans, beef, spices, cheeses, tomatoes, olives and cilantro
- Chicken Broccoli Zucchini Boats – chicken, chopped broccoli, cheese, sour cream, spices
Let cool slightly and then place in freezer safe container or bag and FREEZE. You can keep this in the freezer for up to 1 month.
When you are ready to cook it, place in fridge overnight to thaw and then reheat. You need to be careful because zucchini can get mushy when frozen, so we don’t do this too often.
This can be REHEATED in the microwave, but we like to reheat in the oven by heating it through and often broiling for the last minute or two since zucchini tends to get mushy.
For more great Zucchini recipes, check out:
- Fried Zucchini
- Zucchini Ribbons and Pasta
- Baked Zucchini Fries
- Parmesan Crusted Zucchini
- Zucchini Chicken Alfredo Roll Ups
- Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
Zucchini Boats Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini cut in half, lengthwise
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 16 oz. mild Italian sausage
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- salt & pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- ½ cup Mozzarella shaved
- ¼ breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped (or basil)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Scoop out the interior flesh from the zucchini using a spoon and set aside (do not throw away). Place zucchinis in 9×13 pan.
- Add olive oil to a medium pan and cook sausage with garlic. Add onion powder, zucchini flesh, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Spoon this mixture into each zucchini boat. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheeses and bake for 20-22 minutes. ENJOY!
I was a little hesitant trying these, but I wanted to say I tried & they were so good!! I couldn’t believe how much flavor they have! I will definitely make them again!
Wow! These look absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I can’t wait to make them for my kids.
Glad to share!! They are super tasty. I hope your kids love them!
I followed the suggestion to add spaghetti sauce to my meat. I really loved how it turned out. So delicious!
I Read the nutrition info. The serving size was not given. How am i to calculate properly?
these make the perfect with almost any meal! delicious!
Thank you! We are trying to make smarter food choices and this was healthy and delicious!
Lovely!
LilianNe in norway 🙂
Awe, thank you so much!!
Can you make this ahead of time and put in REFRIGERATOR before baking? I would like to make it and take it to my daughters for them to have an easy dinner. New baby in the house….
You sure could 🙂 How exciting! Congrats!
I have not cooked this yet but thank you for EXPLAINING what to dO with the scooped Zucchini & that the skins can be eaten also. ManY recipes leave these facts out. Also, the other ways to cook it w/other meAts & spices.
You are so welcome!! I hope you like it!
I tried your , I think it was some kind of chicken with mayo? anyway I have tried your recipes before and they are delicious. I like your down to earth personality too. I am going to try the zucchini boats today. thanks
Awe, you are so sweet! Thank you for trying my recipes!!
This recipe was great! We used chilli infused olive oil, hot Italian sausage and tomatoes from the garden. We had cheddar cheese so that went on top. It was delicious!
Sounds delish! Thank you for sharing that!
use a grapefruit spoon makes the scrape out easy
Great idea! Thanks!
I have tried many zucchini boat recipes, well one other.. lol.. and this was was so much better than the last one. My husband loved it. I added plenty of salt and pepper and garlic. Delicious. loved how the topping came out. I put mine in the oven for 22 minutes and the rind was pleasantly edible. Give it a try 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot for this zucchini boats recipe! Super easy to make and tasted so flavorful! Will surely make this again! Fam really loves it!
I have found a new favorite dish! They are nice & hearty & the flavor is so good!
Could you use yellow squash instead of zucchini?
Sure! I haven’t tried it, but I imagine it would taste great!
Such a great way to use all of my zucchini. So hearty and fresh tasting.
I love this lower carb option for a meal! Zucchini with just about anything is delicious, and these don’t disappoint!