Stuffed Zucchini
Updated July 25, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 10 minutes cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 3large (12- to 14-ounce) or 4 medium (10- to 12-ounce) zucchini
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1pound sweet Italian pork or chicken sausage, casings removed
- 1½cups chopped yellow onion (from 1 medium onion)
- 1pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- ¼teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Salt and black pepper
- 1tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more for serving
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅔cup panko bread crumbs, divided
- ⅔cup grated Parmesan, divided
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
277 calories; 18 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 780 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
- Step 2
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then scoop out some of the zucchini flesh, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges of each half. Arrange the zucchini halves in a single layer on the prepared pan and set aside. Roughly chop the zucchini flesh, then place in a paper towel or dish towel and squeeze to remove as much water as you can. Set aside.
- Step 3
In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate.
- Step 4
Add the onion and cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. (If the pan looks dry at any point, add a splash of olive oil.) Add the reserved zucchini flesh, the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have released their juices and most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar and cook for 1 minute, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Step 5
Return the sausage to the pan and add the basil. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until incorporated. Set sausage mixture aside to cool slightly.
- Step 6
Meanwhile, drizzle the zucchini halves all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Step 7
Add ⅓ cup panko and ⅓ cup Parmesan to the sausage mixture and stir. Spoon into the zucchini halves, heaping the filling if necessary.
- Step 8
In a small bowl, combine the remaining panko and Parmesan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the stuffed zucchini.
- Step 9
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the filling is bubbling at the edges. If the breadcrumbs begin browning too much, tent loosely with foil. Cool for at least 10 minutes, then sprinkle with more basil and serve.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Michael
This is pretty much straight out of Richarrd Olney's Simple French Food, without the vinegar, tomato paste, or panko. I've been making it since the 1980s, when I had a summer house and would find zucchini the size of my forearm after a week in the city. Blanching is absolutely NOT required. I don't use fennel sausage. A melon baller is the perfect tool for scooping out the seeds and pulp. Fresh mozzarella and oregano are nice additions. I don't think I've ever made it the same way twice.
Mickela
Made this using mushrooms instead of sausage. Really tasty.
Kelle
We're plant based, so no meat/dairy, but this was delicious exactly as is with Field roast plant based sausage and nutritional yeast in place of meat/dairy. We have so much zucchini from our CSA decided to give it a try and now definitely a summer rotation!
Nousha
It's perfectly alright to scoop out the seedy part of a zucchini fresh. It's soft, I've been doing that for years. You just need a small spoon and it's very easy.
AtticusBat
I have been making zucchini boats for ever. You have to par boil the zucchinis first or there is no way you can get the "meat" out without tearing out the skin.
PeterCL
Best way to hollow out uncooked zucchini: use a grapefruit spoon.
Helen E
I couldn't find the temperature to bake ( my printer cut off the top) so I set the oven for 375. I think it will be ok. Also to reduce the calories a bit after I sautéed the sausage I drained the oil from the pan and used olive oil spray to sauté the onions and for the extra liquid I used chicken broth. The recipe is delicious. ( the zucchini, basil, garlic and tomatoes are from my garden!!!)
robert G.
In N’awlins I think they call this a mirliton and use the eponymous squash named for a Cajun canoe, I believe.
Jennifer
I make a lot of stuffed zucchini as grow it, I soften the scooped out shells in the microwave before stuffing, this ensures that the zucchini will be nicely cooked when baked. Corn is a nice addition sometimes with sausage. As someone else commented, mine are never the same twice.
Anne-Marie Reidy
How many Sandy Pochapins can there be in the world? If this is the wonderful Sandy of Rockland County Girl Scouts, hello from one of your long-so campers! I hope you're well!
J
This is a great recipe. All my family loved it.
Leah
Made exactly as recipe said except I used sun-dried tomato chicken sausages instead of Italian sausage and it was super yummy will definitely make it again.
Elizabeth S
This was so delicious! I forgot the basil and the red wine vinegar and it was still amazing. The breadcrumbs on the top add such a great texture to this satisfying dish.
Pattyposy
Add lemon rine. Use grapefruit spoon to scoop zucchini, rather than mellow baller. Perhaps add one egg, yoke/white
Pattyposy
Used grapefruit spoon rather than melon baller, added lemon peel. Another recipe calls for an egg. Needed? Perhaps bar-boil zucchini if large ?
Pattyposy
Add lemon rind. Use grapefruit spoon rather than melon baller. Consider using a belated egg.
Diana
For a weeknight meal, make the filling and store it in the fridge. You can stuff the zucchini and add breadcrumbs when you’re ready!
Ashley O.
Scooping out the innards of the zucchini is not difficult, especially with a regular spoon. I completed this while the meat was cooking. I threw the onions and tomatoes on the pan at the same time and did not include the scraped out zucchini in the filling. Still excellent! With proper time management, this does not take a lot of time.
Madeline M.
Made this with eggplants, because the British zucchini at my local grocer were too small. It was delicious!
Ted R.
Really good. My wife said delicious. Prep time way off. Direction to remove zucchini seeds doesn't make sense. Seeds are about 1/4 inch from skin. Scrape seeds and flesh, squeeze out water and use that. It works fine. A lot of time consuming work but worth the effort.
willteachforshoes
Made as written and we devoured it. Served it with crusty bread and a salad. However there’s no way this is for 6-8 servings unless each person only gets 1/2 of a zucchini….
Natasha F
I am confused about removing the seeds instruction. There are more seeds as I started to remove zucchini’s flesh. Do I really need to remove all the seeds??? Seems impossible…
Berndo
This recipe rules. We've done it twice with chicken sausage from Sprouts. Their sausage is better than it has any right to be!
Shaena
This was good. Try to get the sausage finer.
Mar
This is delicious, but the quality of the meat is what really makes or breaks it. I made it for a family member who is not very big on meat-based dishes and she loved it.
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