Sweet Italian sausage stuffed zucchini boats are filled with a cheesy Italian sausage filling with tomatoes and herbs. A great low-carb meal!
David is still talking about these sweet Italian sausage stuffed zucchini boats. They are made with garden-fresh zucchini stuffed with mozzarella cheese and sweet Italian sausage mixed with diced tomatoes and herbs, piled high with even more cheese!
When I came up with this recipe, I had a bunch of zucchini that I intended on using to make zucchini muffins. However, I did not get the chance to make them, so I needed a way to use up the zucchini. I also had a ball of mozzarella cheese in the fridge that had met its shelf life that I also needed to use. Mexican Zucchini Boats, a recipe we both adore, crossed my mind, but we had had those on more than one occasion (even Meatless). I wanted to make something different.
Using the Mexican zucchini boat recipe as my inspiration, I decided to create an Italian version that is just as delicious but in its own unique way.
Ingredients Needed to Make the Zucchini Boats
A detailed list of ingredients is provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Sausage: sweet Italian sausage ground or links with casing removed. You can use hot Italian sausage if desired.
- Oil: extra-virgin olive oil for sauteing the onions and garlic. Use whatever cooking oil you prefer.
- Vegetables: minced garlic, diced onion, and diced tomatoes.
- Herbs: dried oregano and basil.
- Zucchini: use medium zucchini that are equal in size, so that cook evenly.
- Tomato Paste: to help thicken sauce. Always brown the tomato paste in the pan before adding in liquid if at all possible.
- Cheeses: shredded mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan.
- Garnish: fresh basil and chili flakes.
How To Make Sweet Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Pour the olive oil into a large pan over medium-high heat; add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds (do not brown). Add the chopped onion, oregano, and basil; Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until translucent and tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Prepare the Italian Sausage:
If you cannot find bulk Italian sausage, you can buy links and remove the casing. To do this, slice down the whole length of the link with the tip of a sharp knife. Peel the casing back in one piece; discard—place sausage in a skillet with the onion and garlic. Cook until evenly brown, crumbling it as it cooks.
Prepare the zucchini:
Meanwhile, cut the zucchini lengthwise and use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out seeds in the middle. Try to leave about ¼-inch of flesh around the outside of the zucchini, so they have some structure to them. Discard the scooped zucchini. You will have 8 boats. Brush the zucchini and sheet pan with olive oil. Place the zucchini on the sheet pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
TIP: If the zucchini wobbles back and forth, you can cut a thin slice off of the bottom skin. This creates a flatter surface and the zucchini will more stable, making it easier to transfer the pan in and out of the oven without dumping out the stuffing.
Divide the mozzarella in half. Add half of it to the bottoms of each zucchini boat, reserving the other half for topping.
Prepare the Meat Sauce:
When the sausage is done, dump it into a sieve over a bowl to drain. Add the tomato paste to the same hot pan to brown.
[Click HERE to learn more about browning tomato paste.]
When the tomato paste has that nice rust color to it, add in the diced tomatoes, stirring to loosen up the paste and brown bits of the sausage from the bottom of the pan. Add the drained sausage back into the pan with the tomatoes.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, lower the heat; continue to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. (The longer you simmer, the better, but don’t allow it to become too runny.)
Fill the Boats:
After simmering, remove the sausage filling from the heat. Carefully spoon the filling into the cheese-filled zucchini boats, dividing the filling between each. Top each sausage-filled zucchini with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese; sprinkle with a little oregano.
Bake the Sweet Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats:
Place the zucchini boats in the oven to bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until the zucchini are cooked fork-tender and still have some structure to them. Do not overcook, or they will come out mushy.
Serve the zucchini boats:
Garnish the Italian sausage stuffed zucchini boats with fresh basil and chili flakes, if desired. Serve warm.
These Italian sausage stuffed zucchini boats are a great way to use up zucchini growing in your garden. If you are feeding your family, make extra, everyone will ask for seconds. I promise!
Sweet Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage ground or links (about 2 large links)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ onion diced
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon basil dried
- 4 medium zucchini
- 2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese divided, shredded or torn
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- fresh basil and chili flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Pour the olive oil into a large pan over medium-high heat; add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds (do not brown). Add the chopped onion oregano and basil; Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until translucent and tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the sausage from the casing: Slice down the whole length of the link with the tip of a sharp knife. Peel the casing back in one piece; discard. Place sausage in skillet with the onion and garlic. Cook until evenly brown, crumbling it as it cooks.
- Meanwhile, cut the zucchini lengthwise and use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out seeds in the middle. Try to leave about ¼-inch of flesh around the outside of the zucchini so they have some structure to them. Discard the scooped zucchini. You will have 8 boats. Place the zucchini on the lined sheet pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Divide the mozzarella in half. Add half of it to the bottoms of each zucchini boat; reserving the other half for topping.
- When the sausage is done, dump it into a sieve over a bowl to drain. Add the tomato paste to the same hot pan to brown. When the tomato paste has that nice rust color to it, add in the diced tomatoes, stirring to loosen up the paste and brown bits of the sausage from the bottom of the pan. Add the drained sausage back into the pan with the tomatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat; continue to simmer for about 10 to15 minutes. (The longer you simmer; the better, but don’t allow it to become too runny.)
- After simmering, remove the sausage filling from the heat. Carefully spoon the filling into the cheese filled zucchini boats, dividing the filling between each. Top each sausage filled zucchini with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese; sprinkle with a little oregano.
- Place the zucchini boats in the oven to bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until the zucchini are cooked fork tender, and still, have some structure to them. Do not overcook, or they will come out mushy.
- Garnish with fresh basil and chili flakes, if desired. Serve warm.
Anonymous says
These look and sound really good!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you! I hope you will give them a try. It made me hungry proof reading this post! 😉
Sarah says
If I can get my husband to talk about a zucchini boat, that would be a huge win 🙂 Definitely trying this out!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Good luck, Sarah! I bet you can!
Debbie says
You rock, mountain sister!! These look amazing!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you! They were delicious!!
Janet Fravel says
Delicious! And it was just as good leftover. I had one large zucchini about 12″ long and this recipe filled it up perfectly. The stuffing was so Italian and cheesy and delicious! Will definitely make this often.