These are the best stuffed zucchini boats! Filled with Italian chicken sausage, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, they’re the perfect way to use summer zucchini!
Italian Stuffed Zucchini Recipe
I plant zucchini every year, some years I get nothing while others I have so much zucchini, I’m always looking for new zucchini recipes to use them up. Zucchini boats are definitely one of my family’s favorites! You can stuff zucchini with just about anything, but I can’t get enough of these sausage stuffed zucchini! Like my Turkey Santa Fe Zucchini Boats, they’re satisfying while still being healthy.
Why These Zucchini Boats Are a Summertime Favorite
These stuffed zucchini boats are one of my absolute summer favorites and they’re also low-carb and gluten-free. I typically eat two halves at around 300 calories, and it’s super filling. You can serve it with orzo, pasta or bread if you want some carbs.
Here’s what I love about this recipe:
- Family-friendly: Cheesy, saucy, and satisfying enough for everyone at the table.
- Great way to use zucchini: Perfect during zucchini season when you have a big harvest to use up!
- Healthy comfort food: They’re cozy enough to satisfy all your comfort food cravings, kind of like baked pasta in a low-carb form.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below are the ingredients for this stuffed zucchini recipe. See the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Marinara Sauce – I use my homemade marinara sauce, or use jarred for convenience.
- Zucchini: You can use yellow squash too, as they have a similar flavor.
- Olive oil for sautéing the vegetables.
- Onion, garlic, and red bell pepper build flavor and add texture to the filling.
- Italian chicken sausage: I’m pretty picky about my Italian sausage, but I love Premio or Al Fresco’s Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage; you forget it’s chicken and it’s 75% less fat that pork sausage. Turkey or pork sausage will also work fine!
- Part-skim mozzarella: I love using Polly-O part-skim mozzarella because it melts beautifully, as you can see in the photo.
- Grated Parmesan cheese: Adds extra cheesy flavor on top.
How To Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats
See the video for step-by-step directions:
Stuffed Zucchini Boats With Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups quick marinara sauce
- 4 medium zucchini, about 32 oz total
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 14 oz Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing (Al Fresco)
- 1/2 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella, Polly-O
- 8 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4″ thick. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside.
- Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove from water.
- Place 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12" baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up.
- In a large skillet, brown sausage, breaking up as it cooks into smaller pieces until browned; set aside.
- Heat oil and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chopped zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook about 2-3 minutes.
- Combine with sausage and cook a few more minutes.
- Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with 1/3 cup cooked sausage, pressing firmly.
- Top each with 2 tablespoons each of sauce, 1 tablespoon each of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon each of parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Tips from Gina’s Test Kitchen
- Don’t over-scoop: Leave enough zucchini around the edges so the boats hold their shape.
- Parboil briefly: If you leave them in the water too long, they’ll get mushy and make your filling watery too.
- Use a melon baller: It makes scooping out the centers much easier.
- Press the filling in: This keeps the filling from spilling into the pan!
Variations
- Spicy Sausage and Ricotta: Combine spicy Italian sausage with ricotta cheese in place of mozzarella, chopped spinach in place of bell pepper, and finish with a touch of grated Parmesan cheese. Top with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for extra heat.
- Vegetarian: Swap the sausage for a vegan sausage alternative.
- Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef: Substitute 90% or 93% lean ground beef and season with extra salt and Italian seasoning.
- Cheese: Swap parmesan with Pecorino Romano. You can also omit the cheese or use a dairy-free alternative.
- Herbs: Add fresh herbs, like basil.
Serving Suggestions
These are pretty filling, so I would go with a crisp, light garden salad on the side and some crusty bread or pasta if you want carbs.
Storage
Store the leftover stuffed zucchini in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. To reheat, thaw them in the fridge if needed and reheat in a 350ºF oven or the microwave.
