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Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Italian sausage zucchini boats packed with browned Italian sausage, roasted peppers, and marinara, baked until the zucchini is tender and the mozzarella turns deeply golden. This sausage stuffed zucchini dinner is an easy baked Italian meal with a low-carb, cheesy top that gets slightly charred.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Zucchini boats
  • 4 zucchini Large, halved lengthwise; scoop centers leaving a 1/4-inch shell.
Sausage filling
  • 1 lb Italian sausage Casings removed (hot or mild).
  • 1 red bell pepper Diced.
  • 1 onion Small, diced.
  • 3 cloves garlic Minced (about 3 cloves).
  • 0.5 cup marinara sauce
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 pepper To taste.
Cheese topping
  • 1.5 cup mozzarella cheese Shredded.
  • 0.25 cup parmesan Grated.
  • 1 fresh basil For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a sheet pan on the middle rack.
  2. Halve the zucchini lengthwise, then scoop out the centers leaving about a 1/4-inch shell; chop the removed flesh and set it aside.
Cook the sausage filling
  1. Cook the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it apart, until browned, then drain excess fat.
  2. Add the red bell pepper, onion, and chopped zucchini flesh and cook for 4 minutes.
  3. Stir in the garlic, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, then simmer for 3 minutes.
Fill and bake
  1. Fill each zucchini shell with the sausage mixture and top with mozzarella and parmesan.
  2. Bake for 20–25 minutes at 400°F until the cheese is deeply golden and the zucchini is tender.
Serve
  1. Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Notes

For clean scooping and a firm boat shape, keep the zucchini shells around 1/4-inch thick so they bake up tender without collapsing. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat covered at 350°F until hot throughout. Freeze not recommended due to texture changes in zucchini after thawing. For a dairy-light swap, use part-skim mozzarella and a smaller amount of parmesan while keeping the top coverage for browning.