Italian stuffed zucchini boats. This low-carb, Italian-inspired dish has so much going for it! It involves lean ground turkey, fresh veggies, and is topped with cheese and toasted bread. Besides, what's not to love about this delicious stuffed zucchini recipe?

Tender zucchini stuffed with a savory, pillowy blend of veggies, pork and spice. In my estimation, it's the best stuffed zucchini recipe. Italian sausage stuffed zucchini are a great alternative to lasagna with flavorful Italian sausage, red sauce, and cheese baked into tender zucchini. You can cook Italian stuffed zucchini boats using 16 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Italian stuffed zucchini boats

You need 3 of medium, uniformly-sized zucchini.
Prepare 1 (24 oz) of jar tomato basil marinara, divided.
Prepare 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
You need 1 lb of ground turkey or Italian sausage.
Prepare 1/3 cup of diced onion.
It's 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
It's 1/3 of diced red bell pepper.
It's 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms.
It's 1/4 cup of chopped Italian parsley.
You need 1 tablespoon of Italian herb seasoning.
It's 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
Prepare to taste of Fresh cracked black pepper.
You need 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flake.
Prepare 1 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
It's 1/4 cup of shaved parmesan.
You need 3 tablespoon of Italian Panko bread crumbs.

I look at the photo of these Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats and I'm all like, "Oooh, that looks delicious. …but are probably complicated and a. Chop the zucchini flesh and set aside. In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and let heat through. For this Italian stuffed zucchini, I opted for an easy bolognese sauce that goes right in the zucchini boats and then all you have to do is add cheese on top before you bake them!

Italian stuffed zucchini boats step by step

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Measure out 1 cup of the marinara sauce and set aside..
Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the zucchini flesh (see recipe note), chop it and set it aside. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into a 13"x 9" baking dish and add about 1" of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just slightly fork-tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool slightly..
Add olive oil to a 12" skillet and place over MEDIUM heat. Add turkey (or beef), onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Continue to cook and stir until meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies have softened. Drain off as much grease as possible and return the skillet to the heat..
Add the chopped zucchini flesh, mushrooms, remaining marinara in jar (reserve 1 cup for later), parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes..
Remove partially cooked zucchini from baking dish and pour off water. Pour the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce into the empty baking dish and place zucchini boats on top of the sauce..
Divide the filling between the zucchini boats. If you have extra filling, spoon it into the dish around the zucchini boats. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, or until zucchini is fork tender. Remove dish from oven and set oven to BROIL..
Remove foil and sprinkle zucchini boats with mozzarella, Parmesan and the panko bread crumbs. Place dish in oven, watching closely, and cook for just a couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden brown..

To thaw, place the stuffed zucchini boats in the refrigerator overnight. You can bake them again from there. Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats and other delicious recipes for main dishes can be found at hamiltonbeach.com. Place zucchini boats in baking pan. Italian Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini Recipe photo by Taste of Home.