Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini
I look at the photo of these Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats and I’m all like, “Oooh, that looks delicious. …but are probably complicated and a million ingredients.” But no, my friends, no. It’s not complicated and it doesn’t have a lot of ingredients! Making a fancy pants meal like this is surprisingly easy!
Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Why Stuff Zucchini?
You might be thinking, who or why did anyone ever think to stuff zucchini?? Stuffing zucchini is a pretty common way to prepare zucchini and for good reason. A) Anyone who grows zucchini knows that you always have a bumper crop. Stuffing zucchini is a great way to use up all those zucchini extras. B) Zucchini has a fairly neutral flavor, so you can combine it with any number of flavors, including the Italian lasagna-like flavors in this dish. C) It’s a great, fiber-filled vehicle for delicious stuff. If you’re trying to make a swap to less refined carbs, zucchini can be a great alternative.
Can You Freeze Stuffed Zucchini?
Yes! Stuffed Zucchini make a great make-ahead freezer meal. Simply freeze the stuffed zucchini laying flat on a lined baking sheet until they’re solid (about 2 hours), then wrap tightly and place in a heavy duty freezer bag. Keep your frozen stuffed zucchini for about 3 months. They can be reheated in the microwave or oven (350ºF until heated through, total time will depend on the size of your zucchini, but about 30 minutes).
What to Serve with Stuffed Zucchini
I served my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini with a little seasoned rice and called it a day, but it would also be good over pasta. OR, just eat the zucchini boats by themselves. They’re quite filling!
Do you Eat the Skin on the Zucchini??
Yes, you can eat the skin and do not have to try to scoop the stuffed zucchini out of the skin. Zucchini skin is very delicate and thin, so it’s almost unnoticeable when you eat it. Plus, it’s full of nutrients! 🙂
Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini
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Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini (6-7″ long) $2.36
- 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
- 1/2 lb. Italian sausage (mild, hot, or sweet) $2.00
- 2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs $0.20
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend* $0.76
- 24 oz. jar pasta sauce $1.29
- Salt and pepper to taste $0.05
Instructions
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Wash the zucchini well, then slice each one in half lengthwise. Use a spoon or a melon baller to remove the flesh from the center of the zucchini halves, leaving a 1/4 inch rim around each. Place the scooped out zucchini halves in a 9×13″ casserole dish or on a large baking sheet. Roughly chop the scooped out zucchini flesh into small pieces and set aside.
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Add the olive oil and Italian sausage to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat. Break the sausage up into small pieces as you sauté and cook until the sausage is thoroughly browned (about 5 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.
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Add the minced garlic and chopped zucchini to the skillet and continue to sauté until the zucchini pieces are soft (about 5 minutes more). Remove the skillet from the heat.
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Begin to preheat the oven to 375ºF. Transfer the sautéed sausage and zucchini to a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, and 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce. Stir until everything is evenly combined. Taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper if needed.
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Stuff the scooped out zucchini halves with the sausage mixture. Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the zucchini, leaving some of the stuffing exposed so it can brown and crisp up. It’s okay if you don’t use all the sauce.
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Bake the zucchini in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the stuffing is brown and crispy and the zucchini are tender. Add the remaining shredded cheese and continue to bake for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Like stuffed vegetables? Check out my Roasted Eggplant with Meat Sauce.
How to Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Step by Step Photos
Start with four medium-sized zucchini (6-7″ long). Wash them well, then slice each one in half lengthwise. Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop the flesh out of the center, leaving a 1/4-1/2″ rim around each one. Place the scooped out zucchinis in a 9×13″ casserole dish, or on a baking sheet.
Don’t throw away the zucchini flesh that you scooped out of the center! Roughly chop it into small pieces because it will be mixed in with the Italian sausage. You want to make the pieces roughly the size of crumbled sausage. Set the chopped zucchini aside.
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 lb. Italian sausage to a large skillet. Sauté over medium heat, breaking up the sausage as it cooks, until it is thoroughly browned (about five minutes). Drain off the excess fat. I bought a package of 5 links which were about 4oz. each. I used two links and froze the rest. Because I wanted crumbled sausage, I just squeezed the meat out of the casing into the skillet.
Add the chopped zucchini pieces and two cloves of minced garlic to the skillet. Continue to sauté until the zucchini is soft (another 5 minutes or so). Remove the skillet from the heat. Begin to preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Transfer the cooked sausage and zucchini to a large bowl, then add 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, 1/4 cup pasta sauce, and 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend. Stir until everything is combined, then taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper if needed.
Italian cheese blends like this can be found in most major grocery stores now, but if you can’t find something similar, you can just use finely shredded mozzarella. Mine was also on sale for $1.50. Woot!!
Finally, stuff the zucchini with the prepared filling.
Pour the rest of your 24oz. jar of sauce (or most of it) over the stuffed zucchini. I just poured two strips of sauce over the dish so that some of the stuffing would remain exposed and get nice and crispy in the oven.
Bake the zucchini in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the stuffing is brown and crispy on the edges and the zucchini have softened some. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and then bake for 2-3 minutes more, or until the cheese is melty.
And then you have THIS. (I garnished with chopped parsley for the photos, but it’s not necessary.)
Seriously. Look at that.
And yet some how these Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini taste even better than they look. 🙌
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