Spicy Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Try this twist on classic Mediterranean cooking with a delicious low-carb stuffed zucchini! Piled with Italian sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms, weeknight meals don’t get more scrumptious than this!

Spicy Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Healthy, low-carb stuffed zucchini with sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms. So scrumptious! | thecomfortofcooking.com
Before he followed his nose and peeked under the foil, just as dinner was going in the oven, I was convinced I had him on the aroma alone. Hearty tomatoes, meaty mushrooms and savory, woodsy spices nestled together in hollowed out zucchini halves surely meant that Italian sausage was also joining the fun, right?

“Is this a… meatless meal?” he asked with an eyebrow cocked.

Not this time, my love.

“This is a mouthwatering meatless meal and you’re gonna love it!” I challenged.

Spicy Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Healthy, low-carb stuffed zucchini with sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms. So scrumptious! | thecomfortofcooking.com
And he did. Besides, what’s not to love about this delicious stuffed zucchini recipe?

It includes some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors and spices, and since I think every man-ivore like my husband Mark should put down the forkful of meat once in a while, it’s dang good for ya too!

Spicy Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Healthy, low-carb stuffed zucchini with sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms. So scrumptious! | thecomfortofcooking.com
With freshly grated Parmesan cheese, these scrumptious, spicy Italian zucchini boats were full of melty cheesy, veggie goodness in just half an hour. They were absolutely delicious with the slightly crisp zucchini and tender baked vegetables. All that gives these a little tang is the crushed red pepper flakes, but you can leave them out if you prefer. No judgment here!

Spicy Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Healthy, low-carb stuffed zucchini with sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms. So scrumptious! | thecomfortofcooking.com
I served mine with saucy tortellini and a spinach salad, but for a mega low-carb meal just eat these alone or include some roasted veggies or your favorite fresh greens. Also, I didn’t have any on hand, but cannellini beans would add even more hearty texture to this tasty, healthy dinner!

Enjoy these vegetarian zucchini boats with your family or friends sometime, and I know you’ll love them as much as we did. If you’re not used to going meatless, this recipe will open your eyes to all the delicious options!

Spicy Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Spicy Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400° degrees F.
  2. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp and seeds, leaving 1/4-inch shell (use a small spoon for this). Reserve pulp from two zucchini and chop. Combine zucchini pulp, garlic, tomato, mushrooms, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil and 1/2 cup cheese in a medium bowl. Divide mixture among zucchini shells.
  3. Place stuffed zucchini in a 13 x 9 baking dish; cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil.
  4. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

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Join the Conversation

  1. I love meatless meals, especially as the weather warms up. These colorful boats are my kind of dinner!

  2. These sound absolutely delicious and full of bright colours and flavours. Your food always sounds and looks so wonderful!

  3. I adore stuffed zucchini! YUM!

  4. This is like the ultimate Italian meal – I am dying for a nice large bite of it with some garlic bread – mmmm :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  5. Yum! I have made a version of baked zucchini and this one is different but looks so yum as well…my problem is that my father in law (whom I live with) gets sick when he eats zucchini so I’m archiving this for a later date ;)

  6. Haha this is a meatless win of a recipe, that’s for sure! Anytime a veggie is stuffed with MORE veggies and then topped with cheese, you just know its gonna be good.

  7. These look delish Georgia! I love, love veggies, so no meat wouldn’t bother me at all! I just planted my garden so hopefully I’ll have lots of zucchini this summer!

  8. Love all the bright colours in this very creative meatless meal. Looks wonderful.

  9. oh yum! i think my husband would have the same reaction as yours did. :)

  10. This looks delicious. Great recipe! :-)

  11. Looks so good, sweet girl! I love stuffing veggies. We did all the time when we were vegetarians. I’d love to see you soon too! Let’s meet for a croissant soon. Easy Tiger?

  12. I love zucchini boats, they are just so cute and fun to eat, also very verstile, and can be loaded with so many goods!

  13. Thanks for your kind comments, everyone!

    Monet – Emailing you now!

  14. Wow.. your basil plant looks INCREDIBLE! Jealous! I’m debating buying one & giving it a try again. I usually murder plants though.

  15. They look amazing! Summer squash are just starting to appear at my local farm, so thanks for the perfect timing of this post! :)

  16. Looks awesome Georgia and great pics too! I made something similar last summer and loved it. I will have to try your version now. Thanks!

  17. My mom used to make something like this… LOVE!!

  18. these sound great + I’ve been seeing lots of zucchini boats on blogs lately, so i’ve been intrigued. i have to try them sometime soon!

  19. I am a meat-eater but love making vegetarian meals as well. These are definitely mouth-watering!

  20. man, this looks freakin amazing. what a great way to swap out the carbs for something tasty and healthy. love your dishes. Meatless dishes are so amazing.

  21. 5 stars
    This looks AMAZING….what a great way to display the meal in the boats :) Can’t wait to try it!

  22. I do enjoy stuffed zucchini and our garden is overflowing with them, so this recipe is a great find-glad I stopped in. Never had any italian flavors with zucchini, but it looks as though I have been missing out! Great post!

  23. Although I like meat – a lot – I actually don’t serve it that often. There are so many other great flavors out there. Plus I enjoy devising different combinations of flavors. In some ways meat is kind of limiting. Using mushrooms to provide that great umami flavor that meat usually provides is one of my favorite tricks. Anyway, really nice recipe, and zucchini season is almost upon us, so very timely. Thanks.

  24. I`ve never even seen stuffed zucchinis before, but this looks so refreshing and great! ;D

  25. I totally love these! I made zucchini boats last week for dinner. I definitely have to make them again soon with this recipe! Love the fresh flavors!

  26. looove stuffed zucchini! this looks amazing!

  27. What a fun way to eat veggies! I love the flavors too, I need to stuff zucchinis very soon!

  28. Oooh, this looks like my kind of meal. Delicious! I love how colorful it is :)

  29. Love the flavors you incorporated in this and how filling it is even without meat! Love the colors too! Beautiful )

  30. I have been trying to incorporate more meat-less meal into our menu, and this looks fantastic. Perfect for the zuchs season!

  31. I’ve never used zucchini this way before. I’ve seen a similar recipe before but forgot about it. I have 4 zucchinis from market that I haven’t decided to use it. Maybe I include whatever I have to make my own boats. :-) Lovely pictures Georgia!

  32. I love how bright these photos are, and the boats look amazing. I suggested making something similar to my husband the other day, but he scrunched his nose at the mention of zucchini – maybe I should make these to try to get him to see the light?

  33. We eat with our eyes first and wow, these look delicious! I’d love to try both versions.

  34. These are just gorgeous, Georgia! What a perfect summer meal!

  35. I saw these in Pinterest Georgia and KNEW from the picture that this recipe had to be yours! These are so creative! And if I had kids, I think this would get them to eat their veggies! Bu tI have a boyfriend… soooo this should work to make him eat his veggies too ;)

  36. How delicious. I’m pinning this immediately.

  37. These are beautiful. What a wonderful use of zucchini.

  38. oh my, these look so colourful and delicious!

  39. Oh, fantastic! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Looks delicious!

  40. How perfect for summer!

  41. I love zucchini. These look perfect! I can’t wait until I get some from the garden so I can give these a try!

  42. I’ve actually never made zucchini boats before but I’m so excited to try it out! I absolutely love that these are filled with different kinds of veggies and flavors.

  43. 5 stars
    I made something similar a few months ago, but mine had meat–I love your vegetarian version!

  44. Holy Hell this looks and sounds amazing! lol… pardon my french. I need these in my life asap. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

  45. I grew up with stuffed (with meat) round zucchini. They were such a staple in everybody´s kitchen. I think long zucchini and veggies are so much better! They look perfect

  46. I love zucchini, but I call them courgettes because I’m from the UK! Meatless meals are great, if you ask me :) and this one looks delicious!

  47. So vibrant and pretty! I’m in the mood for light and healthy dishes right now so this is very good timing for me.

  48. My family would love these…perfect summer recipe!

  49. Can anyone tell me… was it a glass baking dish or a metal one?

  50. I would recommend a metal baking dish, but glass is also fine.

  51. Anonymous says:

    Could I try grilling this? Has anyone else tried to grill them?

  52. You could try wrapping up the assembled zucchini boats in aluminum foil and grilling over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

  53. 5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was delicious!!!

  54. I love stuffed zucchini, and this recipe looks wonderful. Cant wait to try it!

  55. mendoza/countrygirl says:

    5 stars
    I have been cutting out meat about 90% of the time and I love to find awsome ideas. I also, grow a garden and have almost all I need to make this. OH I plan on making those tomorrow for lunch and dinner. I love that when it comes to vegies anyone can put their own spin on a recipie like adding red peper flakes or jalapano slices. WOW!

  56. northern gardener says:

    great idea for when zucchini are so abundant in the garden

  57. Jill Crazymom2three says:

    5 stars
    I added Bob Evans zesty sausage to this (I pre-cooked it before adding to mixture) yummmy!!!!

  58. 5 stars
    This is really good.. thanks! I used tomato passata that I already had open (I live in Italy and use it quite often!), instead of fresh tomato, and served the ‘boats’ on a bed of lightly-tomatoey Farfalle. Will definitely make these again.. and again! :)

  59. Melyssa Braman says:

    5 stars
    i wanted a meatless recipe and almost skipped past this because the description said there was italian sausage in it…then i read through and there was none lol. I’m really excited to try these!

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