Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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Stuffed zucchini with Italian sausage, marinara sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni creates the tastiest pizza stuffed zucchini boats. It’s a great gluten-free way to enjoy pizza all wrapped up in zucchini.

Pizza stuffed zucchini on a baking tray.

Zucchini are in season! There’s so much you can do with zucchini, like making zucchini noodles, zucchini bread, zucchini egg muffins, zucchini lasagna and zucchini fries.

But today I’m stuffing zucchini with a handful of pizza ingredients for the tastiest pizza stuffed zucchini boats. Bonus – they’re naturally gluten-free, low-carb, keto and paleo friendly. And you don’t have to worry about a crust.

I’ve previously made Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats so it seemed pizza was the next best thing. I mean, who can argue with a pizza recipe that’s served up healthy inside zucchini? It’s sort of like making a Cauliflower Pizza Crust from healthy cauliflower, but with zucchini.

This is a great weeknight recipe or great game night recipe, depending on the season. Little hands and big hands alike love these stuffed zucchini. Trust me when I say, they’ll get devoured immediately!

Zucchini sliced in half with seeds scooped out on a baking tray.

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Ingredients

You can take your favorite pizza toppings and stuff them into zucchini. Here’s what’s in mine:

  • Zucchini: Choose medium to large zucchini so you can stuff more filling.
  • Italian Sausage: Zesty Italian sausage adds meatiness and delicious flavor.
  • Marinara Sauce: You can’t have pizza without tomato sauce and my homemade marinara sauce is divine.
  • Mozarella: Grate yourself some fresh mozarella for oozy, cheesy goodness.
  • Pepperoni: Mini pepperoni fit perfectly on top of the zucchini and you can line up as many as will fit.

Zucchini halves stuffed with Italian sausage, mozzarella and pepperoni.

How to Make Stuffed Zucchini Boats

This recipe is incredibly easy (just like my stuffed avocados) and takes less than 30 minutes. Here’s how you make it in 8 simple steps:

  1. Cook the sausage on the stovetop until browned.
  2. Add the marinara sauce to the sausage and stir together.
  3. Slice the zucchini in half and scoop out the seeds, creating a well for toppings.
  4. Fill the zucchini with the sausage mixture.
  5. Sprinkle mozzarella on top.
  6. Place pepperoni down the length of the zucchini.
  7. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes.
  8. Garnish with fresh basil before serving.

Pizza stuffed zucchini on a baking tray after being cooked.

Stuffed zucchini with pizza toppings on a baking tray.

Stuffed Zucchini Variations

For my recipe, I went with a classic sausage pizza. But you can use your favorite pizza toppings and stuff them into your zucchini. Here’s a few variations and ideas for you:

  • Pepperoni Pizza: fill with marinara sauce, cheese and pepperoni.
  • Hawaiian Pizza: fill with marinara sauce, cheese, ham and pineapple.
  • Meat Lover’s Pizza: fill with marinara sauce, sausage, meatballs, pepperoni and sautĆ©ed mushrooms.
  • Barbecue Chicken Pizza: fill with this barbecue chicken mix and top with cheese and scallions.
  • Vegetarian Pizza: fill with marinara sauce, roasted red peppers, baby spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and olives.

As you can see, the options are endless, so have fun with it! Let me know in the comments below which topping you chose for your pizza stuffed zucchini.

Looking for more ideas on what to do with all your zucchini? Check out this post with 20+ Best Zucchini Recipes!

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats

4.93 from 13 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Stuffed zucchini with Italian sausage, marinara sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni creates the best pizza stuffed zucchini boats! It's a great gluten-free and low-carb way to enjoy pizza!

Ingredients 
 

  • 4 large zucchini
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 1 cup marinara sauce
  • 4 ounces mozarella, grated
  • 24 slices pepperoni
  • fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
  • Add the sausage to a pan on medium heat and use a spatula to break it up. Cook on medium heat until it's cooked through and browned.
  • Pour the marinara sauce on top of the cooked sausage and stir together. Remove from the heat.
  • Slice the zucchini in half. Use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds, leaving 1/4 to 1/2-inch of flesh around the outside of the zucchini.
  • Place the zucchini on a baking sheet.
  • Dollop several spoonfuls of the sausage and sauce into each zucchini half, until they're full. Top with mozzarella cheese and several slices of pepperoni.
  • Bake the stuffed zucchini for 20-25 minutes, until it's tender crisp. If you'd like softer zucchini, bake a few minutes longer.
  • Serve the stuffed zucchini boats while warm and enjoy!

Lisa's Tips

  • I'm using an old baking sheet, but if you need a new one I always recommend a heavy duty baking sheet that doesn't warp.Ā 
  • Make sure to read all my pizza variations above to keep this recipe interesting!Ā 

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 777mg | Potassium: 528mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 424IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Stuffed Zucchini, Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.93 from 13 votes (1 rating without comment)

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34 Comments

  1. Excellent. Everyone loved it! Did add green pepper and onion to the sauage as it cooked since we had them in the garden. Also added olives on top of the cheese just for fun!5 stars

  2. Good recipe, couple of simple mods would be to oven bake the zuch shell for like 7 mons first to dry it out and not have it be so watery… also to scoop most of the Zuch center out to make the walls thinner.. if it is too thick it won’t cook all the way thru. I used my own garden zucchini that was almost a foot long (xxl zuch) so plenty of seeds and inner part needed to be scooped. First go round was a little too thick šŸ˜•.definitely gonna make again tho4 stars

  3. This sounds amazing. I want Pizza….I love Zuchinni can’t wait to try it….homemade sauce only. šŸ‘5 stars

  4. I made this tonight. I had high hopes. It’s not that it tasted bad but it just wasn’t that great. If I do them again I will use a different marinara sauce. I used Bertolli and it just didn’t taste pizza-ish. I took the leftovers to my parent’s home while they were still warm and my parents loved them.

    1. Hi Beth – yes, the type/brand of marina sauce can definitely impact this recipe. Hopefully you’ll love it more with a slight tweak to that in the future!

  5. Canā€™t wait to try your recipe. Love watching and learning about good and healthy foods
    My husband and I new way to eat. 30 days in and feel so much better and even lost weight. This is our way of eating now.Ā 5 stars

    1. Hi Carol – I’m so glad to hear you and your husband are on your way towards a healthier lifestyle! Can’t wait for you guys to try this recipe out :)

  6. Hi Lisa

    I too struggle with inflammation that was so bad I could hardly eat anything for 6 months. Ā After seeing my chiropractor he treated and cleared me of mold/mildew/yeast in my gut with homeopathic drops. I couldnā€™t believe it, in 3 weeks I was out if pain and able to eat…

    …and if that wasnā€™t enough he did a second allergy food test and another round of homeopathic drops and I am now GLUTEN AND LACTOSE TOLERANT!!!

    It is such a miracle.. I THANK G0D … after 20yrs off cheese and wheat… I say all this just to let you know that there is additional help out there!

    Hears to happy eating.

    Louise in Dallas, TX

    PsĀ 
    I would presume you are eating fresh shrimp from the sea. Ā I accidentally ā€œcleaned outā€ my good flora with packaged shrimp. Ā They donā€™t list it but it contains Tri Sodium Phosphate… triple dose of phosphate/soap. Ā After being sick for a month in pain I called the manufacturer and CDC to no avail. Ā Finally I did some lactose free yogurt and within 2 days the pain left and my energy returned.

    1. Hi Louise – I’m so glad to hear you are now gluten and lactose tolerant! The journey to healing your gut is always a stretch, but with the help of clean eating, anything is possible.

  7. Saw this today and made it for my husband and I. Heā€™s not a zucchini fan, but I knew heā€™d like this. He turned up his nose when he saw it and skeptically took one. Then, after eating it, he went back for more. Great recipe!5 stars

    1. Hi Carolyn – This recipe is a great way to sneak some vegetables into the meal, but in a delicious way! Glad to hear your husband loved it :)

    2. I love this! We make a gluten free, keto garlic alfredo sauce. Bit, whay do yiu guys do with the insides of the zucchini? Im wondering if anyone has added itnto anchicken veggie soup? I hate wasting!

  8. I have my own garden with fresh veggies, including zucchini. Lately I’ve been craving everything zucchini and these are just in time. I think it would be a great addition for dinner tonight :) These seriously look so good!.5 stars

    1. Hi Olga – Isn’t having your own vegetable garden the best? Zucchini is definitely a summer must and these stuffed zucchini boats will be the perfect dish for dinner. Let me know how you like it!

  9. Wow! These look amazing! I’m sure they taste amazing too! Who can go wrong with pizza toppings???? YUM!5 stars

    1. Glad you love this recipe Jess! They definitely taste amazing and is a great alternative to your traditional pizza :)

  10. Zucchini Boats are always so good for dinner, but Pizza stuffed zucchini boats is seriously taking it to another level… soooo yummy!!5 stars

    1. So glad to hear you love this recipe Sylvie! You can never go wrong with zucchini boats, especially with pizza toppings :)

  11. With zucchini flowing out of the garden like crazy, this recipe is just in time. Perfect for lunch, dinner or a fun party appetizer. I know my grandkids would love this for sure.5 stars

    1. Hi Gloria – You’re so lucky to have lots of zucchini growing in your garden! Glad you love this recipe as it is perfect for any event :)

  12. YUM! Can’t wait to try this! And YES to Cauliflower crust! That is the only thing left I buy packaged!

  13. No nightshades for me, so Iā€™m going to try this with a pesto! Thanks for the inspiration, Lisa!Ā