My family has been having a blast in New York City these last couple of days! It’s one of my favorite places, and I’ve loved getting to show it to my kids and let them experience it for the first time. We did a ferry ride around the island, and to see the Statue of Liberty, hit up some museums and Central Park, the boys went to a Yankees game, and we’ve had some great meals and great sight seeing. Today it’s Rockefeller Center for a bit before we head upstate for our weekend resort stay with tons of family fun and activities from archery to hiking to horseback riding. I can’t wait! OK, let’s move along to the food. Previously, I’ve shared sausage and kale stuffed spaghetti squash, sausage stuffed butternut squash with spinach and of course, sausage stuffed mushrooms, which make a great appetizer. Today, we’re doing a little different twist with these sausage stuffed zucchini.
We’ve got cooked, crumbled turkey sausage, some chopped onions and mushrooms, and two kinds of cheese to give our zucchini boats some serious flavor. They are stuffed full and high and baked until melty and warm. (In fact, we’re baking the zucchini part twice to get them perfectly tender and cooked. It’s a good trick!) These flavorful zucchini boats are a great way to use up some zucchini from your backyard or farmer’s market and they’re also just a fun summer dinner. And that cheesy sausage mixture is hard to beat, even for kids! OK, let’s get cooking. And here’s a little step-by-step guide to getting these prepped:
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make sausage stuffed zucchini. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making turkey sausage stuffed zucchini:
Zucchini: You’ll want the zucchini to be evenly sized and not too skinny or misshapen. You need to be able to halve them lengthwise and have an area to hull out for stuffing. They also shouldn’t be too long that they can’t fit in your casserole dish. Sausage: Choose mild or hot turkey sausage; whichever you prefer. You can also use regular pork sausage if you’d rather; just be sure to drain any excess grease. Mushrooms: Regular white button mushrooms work great here. You could also try this with cremini or baby bella mushrooms if you prefer. Mozzarella: You can mix the shredded mozzarella into the sausage mixture, which is great for getting the mixture to really come together and stay a little more moist. Or you can sprinkle it on top of each zucchini boat before the second bake. And if you want them extra cheesy, feel free to add some more mozzarella.
Like it saucy? You can add some marinara sauce to the sausage mixture before you stuff the zucchini.
Speaking of, prepping the zucchini is probably the “hardest” part of this recipe, and it’s really pretty easy. You’ll slice each zucchini in half lengthwise. Place in a baking dish with some water and bake for about 20 minutes, until tender. Then use a small, sharp knife, such as a paring knife, to cut along the sides of the zucchini halves, leaving a small border so each zucchini boat stays upright. Use a spoon to scrape out the flesh in the middle and discard. Baking the zucchini on their own first, while you’re making the sausage filling, helps speed up the recipe and also ensures the zucchini get perfectly tender without falling apart. Once they are prepped, you’ll fill the zucchini boats with the sausage and mushroom and mozzarella filling, top with the Parmesan cheese and then return to the oven for about 10 more minutes. Everything gets melted and warm and delicious. And then they’re ready to serve!
As for serving size, we find about 1 ½ stuffed zucchini per person works for us, meaning this recipe as is serves 4. However, if you have hungry kids or adults, they might need 2 a piece. Feel free to adjust the recipe to your needs. And of course it also depends on whether you are serving this as a stand-alone meal or with additional sides for dinner. It makes a fantastic low-carb and keto-friendly meal as is. But you can certainly add some steamed rice or dinner rolls to bulk up the meal a bit if you’d like. I hope you give these turkey sausage stuffed zucchini boats a try soon for a fun and flavorful summer dinner. Enjoy! XO, Kathryn
Zucchini: You’ll want your zucchini to be evenly sized and not too skinny or misshapen. You need to be able to halve them lengthwise and have an area to hull out for stuffing. They also shouldn’t be too long that they can’t fit in your casserole dish. Sausage: Choose mild or hot turkey sausage; whichever you prefer. You can also use regular pork sausage; just be sure to drain any excess grease. Mushrooms: Regular white button mushrooms work great here. You could also try this with cremini or baby bella mushrooms if you prefer. Mozzarella: You can mix this into the sausage mixture, which is great for getting the mixture to really come together and stay a little more moist. Or you can sprinkle it on top of each zucchini boat before the second bake. And if you want them extra cheesy, feel free to add some more mozzarella. Like it saucy? You can add some marinara sauce to the sausage mixture before you stuff the zucchini. 👍
