Zucchini Boats

Stuffed Zucchini Boats filled with Italian sausage and tomatoes are a new go-to healthy dinner idea. Topped with cheese, parsley and bread crumbs, you can’t go wrong with this zucchini dish.

Stuffed Zucchini

We found another dinner recipe we love!!! Recently, the hubby and I have been trying to eat a little bitter and have been increasing the amount of protein and veggies we eat while attempting to lessen the amount of carbs we have. It’s pretty sad considering we love our carbs, but it’s been fun trying to come up with new recipes for us to enjoy.

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 dish that I will definitely be adding to the rotation. I admit the kids weren’t too excited about it, but I think that’s because they don’t like sausage in general and think it’s “spicy”. 😉

How to Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats

These Stuffed Zucchini Boats are easy to make but take just a little bit of time. You’ll begin by scooping out the interior flesh from each zucchini. Be sure to keep this because we’ll need it to fill the boats later. 😉 From there you’ll need to do the following:

1. Cook up sausage in a medium pan with olive oil. Add your spices, the zucchini flesh (that was scooped out) and tomatoes.
2. 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!

Do you eat the skins on zucchini boats?

Yes, you do! It becomes super soft once cooked and is great to eat when enjoying this stuffed zucchini.

Zucchini Boat RecipeS

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

So many varieties to try!

How to Freeze Zucchini Boats?

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.

How to Reheat Zucchini Boats?

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.

YUMMY! I love zucchini, and am so excited we tried this out. I’d love to hear if any of you have tried these before and would love to hear your zucchini boat variations.

What to serve with Zucchini Boats:

• Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Pesto Salad
• Parmesan Crusted Asparagus

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

Stuffed Zucchini Recipe

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4.9 from 19 votes

Stuffed Zucchini Boats filled with Italian sausage and tomatoes are a new go-to healthy dinner idea. Topped with cheese, parsley and bread crumbs, you can't go wrong with this zucchini dish.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 278 kcal

Author Lil' Luna

Ingredients

• 4 medium zucchini cut in half, lengthwise
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 16 oz. mild Italian sausage
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella shaved
• 1/4 breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp parsley chopped

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 9x13 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!

Nutrition Facts

Stuffed Zucchini Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 278 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 54mg18%

Sodium 563mg24%

Potassium 435mg12%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 440IU9%

Vitamin C 21.1mg26%

Calcium 132mg13%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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