Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe

My recipe for Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini is a family hit and the perfect way to use extra summer zucchini harvest. Save this recipe now so you can make it each zucchini season!

Our zucchinis are just going crazy right now and I’m using them in every way imaginable in the kitchen. From bread, to pasta to zucchini bites, everything is getting zucchini-fied right now. One of the most delicious ways (and I think the most fun too) to use zucchini is to stuff it. You can stuff zucchini with almost any ingredient you love and take it to another level. In my case, I love Italian Sausage so I made my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe for a hearty meal that makes the most of my harvest abundance right now. 

What is Stuffed Zucchini?

Stuffed Zucchini is zucchini that has basically been scooped out and turned into zucchini “boats”. It can be filled with a variety of toppings including ground chicken, beef, pork or in my case, sausage. People tend to make it in a variety of ways with a lot of filling options because it is really customizable. Usually it also includes cheese, breadcrumbs or an egg and additional herbs. 

Why stuff a zucchini?

If you’re wondering why people love stuffed zucchini recipes there’s a few simple reasons. 

1. It is a delicious way to get a lot of flavor in one bite. Filled with Italian sausage, cheese, garlic and that zucchini, it’s a great way to enjoy a meal that doesn’t take a lot of work but provides a mouthwatering meal.
2. It is a nutritious meal depending on what you use for stuffing. My recipe is low carb but I’ll give you instructions for adding carbs too if you like. 
3. It’s easy and a good way to use up that extra summer produce. This recipe will take about 40 minutes to make but most of that is really hands off cooking time in the oven.

What’s in my stuffed zucchini? 

So my version of stuffed zucchini is Italianized because, well, so am I. 🙂 Italian Sausage is one of my favorite proteins to use and even on it’s own it already has fantastic flavor. In addition to that, I reuse the zucchini I scooped out in the filling. The more vegetables in my life, the better. I see no need in throwing all that away unless it is really overly seedy. If you use a medium sized zucchini, you should not have that problem.

For added flavor I also mix in diced onion, grated garlic, parmesan cheese, basil and an egg to bind everything nicely. The whole mix really creates outstanding flavor. 

I like to keep this recipe low carb so I tend not to add breadcrumbs, which is a common ingredient in stuffed zucchini recipes. If you want breadcrumbs I give instructions for that below. 

I like to top my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe with my homemade Roma Tomato Sauce. You can find the recipe for that {HERE}.

Substitutions

As I mentioned, I make my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe as a low carb version for our family. Generally, Italain Sausage Stuffed Zucchini has breadcrumbs in it. If you like, you can add 3/4 cup of bread crumbs to the recipe. They help to bind everything together and will help soak up any sausage grease that doesn’t get drained out. 

if you are not a fan of parmesan cheese, you can swap it out for gouda or asiago. Even mozzarella would work too. 

Tips for making my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe

• Use a medium sized zucchini for my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe and use an ice cream scoop to help take out the middle. Chop that up to use in the stuffing mix. 
• I add egg to my Italian Sausage Stuff Zucchini recipe and we love the way it tastes. You can also add in 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs of you like.
• After browning the sausage, drain off as much oil as possible. The sausage will continue to produce oil so if you don’t drain it off you will end up with a very soggy stuffed zucchini. 
• Similarly, when scooping up the spoonfuls of the mix to stuff the vegetable with, let each spoonful drip off to reduce oil and additional zucchini water in the bake. Zucchini holds a lot of water so you might notice some at the bottom of the bowl. You don’t need any of that “juice”.
• You will probably have extra filling mix since we are putting more into each zucchini boat than taken out. You can discard that OR use it in another way. I like to make some extra meatballs with it. You can shape them and bake those at 350 for 20 minutes.
• You can find my heat safe baking mixing bowls {HERE}.

Making ahead and storing

• To store my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe, you can save the individual boats in the baking dish. Cover them tightly with tin foil and refrigerate. Use them within 24 to 36 hours. 
• This means you can also make the dish ahead of time as long as you’re going to use it the next day. However, do not add the marinara sauce until you plan to serve. 
• To reheat, add them back to the oven and bake at 350 degrees. Or you can reheat them in a microwave for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. 

Looking for more ways to use Zucchini or more summer recipes?

Here’s a few more zucchini recipes you might love and a few additional summer favorites!

• Parmesan Zucchini Pasta {HERE}
• Simple Grilled Zucchini {HERE}
• Zucchini Bites {HERE}
• Zucchini Bread {HERE}
• Grilled Corn Salad {HERE}
• Homemade Blueberry Pie Ice Cream {HERE}

Thank you so much for coming by today, friends! I hope that you enjoy my Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe and I hope you will come back again. You can find the full, printable recipe below. You can also find me on instagram @sugarmaplefarmhouse and @sugarmaplekitchen. Our YouTube channel is @sugarmaplefarmhouse. Happy eating!

Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini recipe

My recipe for Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini is a family hit and the perfect way to use extra summer zucchini harvest. Save this recipe now so you can make it each zucchini season!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, Italain American

Keyword: italian sausage stuffed zucchini, Italian sausage stuffed zucchini recipe, stuffed zucchini recipe, zucchini recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• 1 large sauté pan or skillet
• 1 baking dish with edges This should have a decent edge in case you get additional grease coming from the sausage.
• 1 large heat safe bowl

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini with the insides scooped out to make a boat shape Reserve the insides
• Insides of the scooped zucchini, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium diced yellow onion
• 4 large cloves grated or pressed garlic
• 5 Italian Sausages We use sweet but you can also use mild or spicy.
• 1/3 cup chopped basil
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups your favorite marinara sauce or my Roma tomato sauce
• Additional parmesan cheese and basil for topping
• *Optional: 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Slice two medium zucchini in half and scoop out the insides with an ice cream scoop.
• In an sauté pan on the stove, add extra virgin olive oil and heat. Then add onions and cook for 3 minutes or until they are translucent. Then add in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
• Add in the zucchini and cook for 3 minutes. Remove everything from the pan to a large, heat safe bowl.
• Wipe out the pan and add the Italian Sausage and brown. Then drain the sausage well.
• Combine the sausage with the zucchini mix and add in the parmesan cheese, basil and egg. Mix well. *If you want breadcrumbs, add them now.
• Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats. Drain the spoonfuls before adding. Leave any extra water/grease at the bottom of the bowl.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. You'll know it's done when the tops of the sausage are starting to brown slightly.
• Top with your favorite marinara sauce or my homemade Roma Tomato Sauce. Top with additional cheese and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.