Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword stuffed-zucchini, stuffed-zucchini-boats

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 578kcal

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini cut in half
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lb mild or spicy Italian sausage
1 medium sweet onion finely diced
3 medium cloves garlic minced
1 24 oz jar prepared marinara sauce divided use
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning divided use
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
2/3 cup part skim or whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese divided use
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a broiler pan or a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Prep the Zucchini: Use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds and part of the zucchini flesh leaving at least a 1/3 inch border. Arrange halves side by side on broiler pan. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Make the Sausage Filling: In a large skillet cook sausage and onion over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes or until no pink remains. (You can add olive oil but the sausage will likely have ample fat for cooking.) Add garlic to mixture cooking for 1 minute longer. Drain any excess fat from the pan.
To the skillet add 2 cups marinara sauce, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. (Omit if using spicy sausage or personal preference.) Simmer for 2-3 minutes or just until the tomato paste has melted and the sauce is fully combined. Remove from heat.
Ricotta: In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, 1 Tablespoon Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning.
To Assemble: Divide half of the shredded mozzarella cheese between the zucchini sprinkling onto bottom of each zucchini boat. Next, use a spoon to dollop the ricotta mixture over the cheese dividing it evenly between the zucchini halves
Top with Italian sausage mixture. Sprinkle the tops with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.
Transfer the dish to the oven and and bake for 22-25 minutes. (Test for doneness with the tip of a knife, it should easily glide through.)
Serve immediately with reserved warm marinara sauce on the side, if desired.
Homemade Italian Sausage: To make your own sausage using ground pork, turkey or chicken for this recipe: Mix the following together and proceed with the recipe browning together with diced onion and garlic in Step #3.
1 1/2 pounds of ground pork, turkey or chicken
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (Optional adjust to taste or omit).

Notes

Pasta Sauce: You can use a jar of your favorite marinara sauce for this recipe. I recommend having extra to serve on the side for those who'd like to add more to their zucchini boat after baking.

Sausage: You can make your own sausage for this recipe or swap out the sausage for ground beef.

Choose Similar Size Zucchini: No two zucchini are exactly alike. When choosing zucchini, try to pick 3 that are similar in shape and size for even cooking. Should you use a smaller zucchini than I did and have leftover sausage filling, pop it into the freezer for a future meal. It will freeze beautifully just like spaghetti sauce for up to 3 months.

Squash: You could adapt the recipe using yellow squash.

Cheese: You can use a pre-shredded Italian blend of cheese for a timesaver. You can also use Parmigiano-Reggiano in place of Parmesan cheese or even cheddar cheese, if that's what you have on hand. There's no such thing as too much cheese so feel free to use more to suit your taste.

Vegetables: You may opt to add diced bell peppers or mushrooms to the sausage filling.

Fresh Herbs: Garnish with parsley, basil, oregano or chives.

Pre-Bake the Zucchini: The zucchini isn't prebaked prior to filling so it maintains a firm texture. If you'd like for it to be softer, season with salt and pepper and place them into the preheated 400°F oven for 5-10 minutes before filling them and returning them to the oven to finish baking once assembled.

Pan Options: I like using a broiler pan to bake these zucchini boats as the grooves in the pan keep the zucchini upright. If your prefer baking them in a dish, you can slice a thin piece from the bottom of the zucchini halves to give them a flat bottom so they'll remain upright while baking.

Nutrition