Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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Looking for a quick and healthy dinner idea using zucchini? Yes, the answer is always yes. And the answer today is stuffed zucchini boats. With a savory filling and melted cheese, it’s the perfect combination of fresh vegetables and comfort food. I’ve made stuffed zucchini recipes every which way, including buffalo chicken zucchini boats, zucchini taco boats, and zucchini pizza boats. They’re make a great way to use up ingredients in the fridge and pantry! But this time we’re making my all-time favorite, sausage stuffed zucchini. They’re savory, they’re cheesy, and they’re oh-so-easy.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for stuffed zucchini with Italian sausage, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

The filling for this recipe is similar to my stuffed banana peppers:

• Zucchini – This recipe for stuffed zucchini will work with zucchini of any size, but you may need to adjust the amount of stuffing if yours are very small or very large. You can also make it with yellow squash!
• Olive Oil – Used for roasting the squash. You can use any neutral oil, such as avocado oil.
• Sea Salt – I didn’t feel the need to add black pepper because the ausage was already so flavorful, but you can add a pinch on your zucchini if you like.
• Onion – You can use yellow onion, white onion, or sweet onion. Red onion would also work, but the sharp flavor is less ideal in this dish. Red bell pepper can make a nice addition — saute with the onions if you want to add it.
• Ground Italian Sausage – I used pork sausage, but you could also use ground turkey, ground beef, ground chicken, or simply plain ground pork. My sausage had enough heat on its own, but you can add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you want more. If you have leftover Instant Pot chicken breast, you can shred it and use that instead.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves will have the best flavor, but if you’re in a hurry, you can use 1 teaspoon of jarred garlic instead, or just stir 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder into the filling.
• Diced Tomatoes – These add moisture, sweetness, tang, and texture to the zucchini stuffing. You could substitute canned crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, salsa for a different flavor twist, roasted red peppers, or simply chop some fresh tomatoes.
• Parmesan Cheese – This goes inside the filling. I used pre-grated parmesan for convenience, but fresh would taste even better.
• Italian Seasoning – You can use store-bought or make your own Italian seasoning in 5 minutes. If you don’t have all the needed herbs, you can substitute any combination of dried basil, oregano, thyme, or rosemary. Fresh herbs (such as fresh oregano or basil) would also work nicely, but you’d need 3 times the amount, as their flavor is less intense than dried.
• Mozzarella Cheese – For the gooey, melty topping! I love mozzarella here, but feel free to use any kind of shredded cheese you prefer.

How To Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats

This section shows how to make stuffed zucchini recipes, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

These instructions are for sausage stuffing, but you can follow the same process for all kinds of stuffed zucchini recipes:

1. Roast the zucchini. Slice the squash the long way, and use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the zucchini flesh. Place the zucchini onto a large baking dish or lined baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake until soft.
2. Saute the onions. Heat more olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute until they start to brown.
3. Brown the meat. Add the sausage (or other ground meat) to the skillet. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned.

4. Saute the garlic. Make room in the center of the pan and add the minced garlic. Saute until fragrant, then mix into the sausage.
5. Add the other filling ingredients. Stir in the diced tomatoes, grated Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Adjust salt to taste, if needed.
6. Stuff the zucchini. Dry the squash with a paper towel. Add the filling into the zucchini boats.

7. Bake. Sprinkle the stuffed zucchini with shredded mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted.

TIP: Broil at the end if you like.

If you want the cheese darker, place under the broiler for a few minutes.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep leftovers from this baked stuffed zucchini recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Meal prep: Cook the filling and prep the zucchini ahead of time, then store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Assemble and bake the stuffed zucchini boats right before serving.
• Reheat: Warm in the oven at 350 degrees F, or in the microwave.
• Freeze: Arrange the zucchini boats on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. It’s best to thaw overnight before reheating, but you can also bake from frozen. The zucchini will be much softer after freezing, but still delicious!

More Stuffed Zucchini Recipes

If you are zucchini-obsessed like me, check out all of my other zucchini recipes! And if you want a different twist on this Italian sausage stuffed zucchini recipe, try these other stuffed zucchini recipes using other fillings:

• Mexican – Make them with taco seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, red onions, cheddar cheese, avocado, and fresh cilantro. Follow my recipe for zucchini taco boats. If you prefer chicken or turkey, make the filling from stuffed poblano peppers or turkey stuffed peppers and stuff inside zucchini instead.
• Buffalo Chicken – This is like buffalo chicken dip inside zucchini! Follow my recipe for buffalo chicken zucchini boats.
• Pizza – A healthier way to enjoy pizza is to use zucchini boats as your “crust” (without the effort of actually “making” a zucchini pizza crust!). Follow my recipe for zucchini pizza boats.
• Mediterranean – Combine shredded chicken with the topping from my bruschetta chicken recipe, stuff your zucchini, top with fresh mozzarella, and bake. Or use the stuffing from my Greek-inspired stuffed tomatoes in zucchini instead.
• Crab – Make hot crab dip and spread inside zucchini halves. Sprinkle with shredded cheese of your choice and bake.
• Spinach & Feta – For a vegetarian stuffed zucchini meal, make the filling from spinach stuffed mushrooms or eggplant rollatini in a large bowl. Scoop into the squash, top with mozzarella, and bake.
• Broccoli Cheese – Make broccoli cheese casserole, but stuff inside zucchini halves instead of baking in a casserole dish. This is another great vegetarian option.

4.96 from 41 votes

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Make these stuffed zucchini boats with sausage & melty cheese for an easy, healthy, low carb dinner. Plus, 7 more stuffed zucchini recipes!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 4 medium Zucchini ▢
• 2 tbsp Olive oil (divided) ▢
• Sea salt (for sprinkling) ▢
• 1/3 cup Onion (diced) ▢
• 1 lb Ground Italian pork sausage ▢
• 2 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 14.5 oz Diced tomatoes (drained) ▢
• 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan cheese ▢
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning ▢
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (shredded) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, or skip lining and just use a large baking dish.

2. Slice the zucchini lengthwise. Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out some of the centers of the zucchini to make wells.

3. Place the zucchini onto the baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

4. Roast the zucchini in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until soft.

5. Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon (15 mL) of olive oil a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions. Saute for about 10 minutes, until starting to brown.

6. Add the pork sausage, and cook for about 10 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned.

7. Make some room on the pan, add the minced garlic, and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Then, mix the garlic into the sausage.

8. Remove the sausage from heat. Stir in the tomatoes, grated Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Adjust salt to taste, if needed.

9. When the zucchini are done roasting, use paper towels to pat any moisture from the wells.

10. Stuff the sausage mixture into the zucchini boats. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.

11. Bake for about 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 2 zucchini boats

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 582

Fat 44g

Protein 29g

Total Carbs 14g

Net Carbs 11g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 8g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: sausage stuffed zucchini, stuffed zucchini, stuffed zucchini boats, stuffed zucchini recipe, stuffed zucchini recipes

Calories: 582 kcal

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