Craving pizza but want something healthier? These cheesy Pizza Zucchini Boats pack all your favorite pizza flavors into low-carb zucchini shells with sausage, mozzarella, and pepperoni. It's a fun new spin on the classic Friday pizza night!
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👩🍳 You can prep this simple supper meal ahead of time by scooping out the zucchini and preparing the filling, then just stuff and bake when you're ready to eat!
My 2 Best Tips For Making Pizza Zucchini Boats
Pre-Bake Zucchini Shells: Baking the scooped zucchini shells before adding the filling helps remove excess moisture and prevents soggy boats. This 15-minute step makes all the difference in texture.
Season Your Filling: Since zucchini has a mild flavor, make sure your sausage mixture is well-seasoned. Taste it before stuffing the boats and add salt, pepper, or Italian seasoning as needed.
These pizza zucchini boats give you all the flavors you crave from pizza – melted mozzarella, savory sausage, tangy pizza sauce, and pepperoni!
Even picky eaters love these because they taste like pizza. Plus, you can easily customize the toppings – swap the sausage for ground beef, add different vegetables, or use turkey pepperoni for a lighter option.
If you're drowning in zucchini from your garden or the farmers market, this recipe is a delicious way to use up those medium-sized zucchini that are perfect for stuffing.
🩷 Melissa
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Pizza Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 4 small zucchini (6-8 inches long)
- 4 ounces pork sausage
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- ⅓ cup chopped bell pepper
- ⅔ cup chopped white button mushrooms
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup mini pepperoni
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Slice the zucchini in half from stem to blossom end. Use a spoon to scoop out the inner flesh and seeds, leaving about ½ an inch of zucchini shell.
- Place the zucchini, cut side up, in a rimmed baking dish and bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes.
- While the zucchini cooks, add the sausage to a medium skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through and the veggies are very tender.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pizza sauce.
- When the zucchini are done baking, carefully remove from the oven. Distribute the sausage mixture evenly among the zucchini.
- Top the stuffed zucchini boats with shredded mozzarella and then top with the mini pepperoni.
- Turn your oven to broil and broil the zucchini boats until the cheese is melted and starts to bubble and brown, 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with chopped fresh basil.
Notes
- You can sub the pork sausage for other types of sausage as you prefer, such as turkey or chicken sausage.
- Ground beef and ground turkey also work well in this recipe.
- Add different vegetables or even use all vegetables and no meat.
- Use turkey pepperoni in place of regular pepperoni for a lighter option.
- You can even replace the meat with cooked beans. I think black beans are especially good in this recipe!
Nutrition
How To Make This Pizza Zucchini Boat Recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the inner flesh and seeds, leaving about ½ an inch of zucchini shell. Place the zucchini, cut side up, in a rimmed baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
Step 2: While the zucchini cooks, cook the sausage over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook 6-8 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through and the veggies are very tender. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pizza sauce.
Step 3: Remove the zucchini from the oven and distribute the sausage mixture evenly among the zucchini. Top with shredded mozzarella and then mini pepperoni.
Step 4: Turn your oven to broil and broil the zucchini boats until the cheese is melted and starts to bubble and brown, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with chopped fresh basil.
Recipe FAQs
Medium-sized zucchini that are 6-8 inches long work perfectly. They're large enough to hold a good amount of filling but not so large that they become watery or take too long to cook. Avoid very small zucchini (not enough filling space) or very large ones (too seedy and watery).
You can prep the zucchini boats up to the point of adding the cheese and pepperoni, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, add the toppings and broil as directed, adding an extra 1-2 minutes if needed.
You can use ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken sausage. For a vegetarian version, try using cooked beans or extra mushrooms seasoned with Italian herbs.
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