Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats (Easy Clean-up)
Looking for a low-carb, easy clean-up, and budget-friendly recipe? It sounds too good to be true, but you can have it all with these Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats.
A decadent cheesy pizza is the perfect cure for the weeknight blues, and this healthy-ish recipe tackles that craving while providing a meal that you can feel good about.
My Criteria For A Weeknight Meal
I don’t know about you but weeknights can be CRAZY. My husband and I are both educators, and our weeknights feel a bit packed. Whether you are an educator or not, I am sure you also can relate to the few nights a week that create the perfect storm of chaos.
Whether it is a flood of emails you need to respond to, a lesson plan that is just not going to work for tomorrow’s class, or a project that is taking wayyy longer to grade than expected… those nights I need a recipe for a meal that requires as little thought as possible. Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats is one of my go-to dinners for an easy weeknight recipe. It’s a great weeknight meal because it fits the following criteria for the perfect weeknight meal recipe:
It can not take longer than 30 minutes to complete a weeknight meal recipe
If it takes longer than 30 minutes, it feels less accomplishable on a busy night.
It should have a hook (something that makes me excited to eat it) but it should be healthy-ish
A hook in a recipe is something that makes me excited to eat it. For example, pizza and gooey mozzarella cheese are always something that gets me excited for dinner. But I like it when my home-cooked meals are healthier than takeout or prepared food options. It just makes me feel better on a busy night to eat something nourishing that I feel good about eating.
The clean-up should be a breeze
The thought of clean-up should not stand in the way of creating a weeknight meal. That’s why I believe that clean-up should not take longer than 5-10 minutes of added time. Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats boasts some easy clean-up claims and it’s true! I suggest lining a baking sheet with parchment paper to just toss the mess away and to avoid scrubbing dishes. YAY!
How to Make Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats are simple to make. Here’s how to get started.
Cook and ground sausage
While I used plain sausage for this recipe, you can use whatever sausage you prefer like Italian or Hot sausage. Remember to adjust the seasonings you add to the pizza stuffing if you are using preseasoned sausage.
This recipe only calls for 1/2 a pound of ground sausage, but I typically cook up the whole pound so I can use the other 1/2 pound for another meal to make easier work for myself later in the week. Make sure to drain excess grease from the sausage before adding it to the pizza stuffing. I like to set the sausage aside to let it cool before adding it to the pizza stuffing, but if you are in a rush you can skip this step.
Prep the Zucchini Boats
Halve the zucchini lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop and discard the seeds out of the center of the zucchini. It’s important to “season in layers,” so that the zucchini boats themselves are just as tasty as the stuffing. Drizzle olive oil on top of the zucchini and season with a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 18 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the Sausage Pizza Inspired Stuffing
Combine the marinara sauce with the ground sausage, spices, and most importantly, all the CHEESE! Depending on the type of sauce that you use (ie if it is already a preseasoned sauce) you may want to omit adding in excess seasonings to the mixture. I used plain marinara sauce for my sauce and plain sausage, so the seasons helped elevate the pizza flavor in my stuffing.
Stuff Your Sausage Pizza Zucchini Boats
Remove the roasted zucchini boats from the oven. Using the scooped-out middle of the zucchini as a guide, distribute the filling between the zucchini boats. Top the boats with extra mozzarella cheese. And bake for another 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
Enjoy your easy weeknight dinner! Top your zucchini boats like you would a normal slice of pizza. I like to top off my Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.
How to Customize Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats
If you can’t tell already, I LOVE zucchini boats. These sausage pizza stuffed zucchini boats provide all of the deep-dish pizza flavors that I love to eat. But you can jazz it up even more with your preferences:
Make it into supreme pizza!
Reduce the amount of ground sausage to 1/4 pound. Add in steamed, chopped peppers and onions, diced black olives, and chopped pepperoni to the mix.
Make it a Meat-Lovers-inspired Pizza
Instead of using just ground sausage, combine sausage, crumbled bacon, and chopped pepperoni to make your favorite meat-lovers-inspired pizza.
Make it Extra Sauce-y
This recipe is intentionally lower on the sauce-y side because the zucchini can become too watery with excess sauce. However, if you like to have extra sauce, I suggest serving 1/4 to 1/2 cup of mararnia sauce alongside your cooked zucchini boats for dipping.
Fancy Frugal Fixes Tip: Save on Your Groceries By Stretching Your Meat
One of my absolute biggest tips when trying to save a little on your groceries is to carefully look into your protein options. I often find ways to stretch meat through multiple meals, while relying on other plant-based forms of protein to round out out meals. I geek out about our grocery spending a bit.
For the last almost 3 years, my husband and I have spent well below the USDA thrifty budget’s recommendations (in our area) on our groceries while still enjoying plenty of nutritious and satisfying meals. I am a careful shopper, but also I am a careful meal planner so that we can use up what we have instead of letting it go to waste. I love this Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats recipe because it stretches out the meat that’s being used for another meal.
Check Out Other Recipes that Use 1/2-pound of Sausage:
At Fancy Frugal Fixes, we try to be mindful of the stewardship of our food resources. This recipe only calls for 1/2 lb of sausage, so that the meat can be spread out to other meals throughout your week. Need help coming up with what to do with your extra 1/2 lb? Try out one of these delicious recipes:
Other Easy Weeknight Recipes (With Little Clean-up) You May Also Like:
- Sheet Pan Mexican Street Corn Stuffed Chicken Zucchini Boats
- Tomato Mozzarella Panini (Better Than Starbucks)
- Quick Mediterranean Shrimp Sheet Pan with Lemon Olive Oil Sauce
- Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad Copycat Recipe
Sausage Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
Seasoned Zucchini
- 3 medium zucchini
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Sausage Pizza Stuffing
- 2 Tbsp shredded parmesan
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1/2 lb cooked mild sausage
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp red chili pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Set a pan on the stovetop and heat it to medium heat. Cook and crumble the mild sausage. Make sure to drain excess grease from the sausage before adding it to the pizza stuffing.
- Halve the zucchini lengthwise. Scoop and discard the seeds out of the center of the zucchini. Drizzle olive oil on top and season with a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 18 minutes.
- While the zucchini is cooking, combine marinara sauce with the ground sausage, seasons, and the cheeses! Depending on the type of sauce that you use (ie if it is already a pre-seasoned sauce) you may want to omit/limit adding additional seasonings to the mixture.
- Remove the roasted zucchini boats from the oven. Using the scooped-out middle of the zucchini as a guide, distribute the filling between the zucchini boats. Top the boats with extra mozzarella cheese. And bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the boats from the oven. Enjoy and top with red pepper flakes and parmesan, if desired.
