My husband Marc has mentioned in the past how his dad would make zucchini boats a lot when he was growing up. So when he brought it up again this week, I took the hint that he was craving it. I would never have thought of making it, so I love how he has become my muse. Of course I had to put my own spin on it though. I whipped up these amazing Italian zucchini boats for a low carb dinner and I was so happy I did! Let me tell you, I didn’t even miss the carbs and you all know that I love them so.
The Italian zucchini boats baked for just 20 minutes to soften the zucchini and melt the cheese. I couldn’t wait to dive in when they came out! Oh wow, I fell in love. It was one of my favorite combinations of sausage, pepper and onion, but without the usual carb overload. Marc went nuts for them too, so mission accomplished! It was so fun making one of his favorite childhood dishes with my own little spin. Hope you all love it too! xoxo
These Italian zucchini boats are such a satisfying, low carb dinner loaded with sausage, roasted red peppers, onion and cheese.
- 4 whole large zucchini halved
- 1 dash olive oil
- 1 pound loose sweet Italian sausage
- 1 jar roasted red peppers drained and roughly chopped, 12 ounce size
- 1 whole onion diced small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 leaves fresh basil roughly chopped
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- freshly grated parmesan as needed for topping
- shredded mozzarella cheese as needed for topping
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 and line a sheet tray with a silicone mat. Take the zucchini halves and hollow them out by scraping out the flesh with a spoon. Lay the hollowed out zucchini halves out on the sheet tray and roughly chop the flesh. Set the flesh aside. Then heat the olive oil in a large skillet with deep sides. Brown the sausage in it as you break it up. Then add the zucchini flesh, roasted peppers, onion, garlic and basil. Season the mixture with a generous pinch of the salt and pepper. The zucchini will start to release water and that's ok. Let the mixture simmer in the zucchini water for about 15 minutes, until it all almost evaporates.
- When the water is just about evaporated, add in the corn starch and stir it in well. Let it cook off and really thicken the mixture for a minute or two. Then take the pan off of the heat. Stuff each of the zucchini boats to the brim with the filling, packing it in tightly. Then sprinkle a generous amount of parmesan and mozzarella on top of each boat. Bake them for about 20 minutes, until the zucchini softens and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I am going through a zuchinni phase right now and this looks delicious. I’ve done zuchinni boats in the past but never with sausage… going to have to try this out.
Oh I’m going through the same phase! I love it when it’s in season. Hope you love the recipe, thanks so much for the comment :-).
These have me drooling! Was looking for something new to make and it’s a great time of year for zucchini!
Thank you so much!! They’re a new favorite here, I hope you love them!
Those look awesome! The only thing I have made with zucchini is sugary zucchini cake.
Thank you so much!!
Yum! These look so good. I’ve seen zucchini boats before, but I haven’t made them yet. And now I want to make them right now. I’ll have to try out this recipe on my family within the next week or so!
Thank you very much, I hope you love the recipe!!
Aw…where was this post last week when I had leftover ground beef and zucchini to cook?! 😉 I made this once and the kids loved it, so
Oh I think zucchini boats are so fun for kids! If you have the ingredients again now you know where to find it ;-). Hope you enjoy it, thanks so much for the comment!
That filling sounds fabulous! I think the roasted red pepper is what takes it over the top! Pinning! Can’t wait to try it!
Oh thank you so much!! I hope you love it. The roasted red peppers definitely make it something special :-).
These look pretty easy to make. Saving the recipe to make soon!
Oh awesome! Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy them.