Zucchini Pizza Boats come together in just 30-minutes. Fully loaded with sausage, mushrooms, peppers and olives, it’s a lower-carb, lower-calorie way to enjoy pizza and sneak some extra veggies into your diet.
Table of Contents
If you’re one of those lucky people who has loads of zucchini growing in their garden right now, this recipe is definitely for you. I on the other hand am one of those unlucky (green thumb impaired) people who has one zucchini growing on the ginormous plant that’s taking up about half of my raised garden bed…
But, there also seems to be no shortage of people giving away zucchinis this time of year too… I like being the recipient of those.
Especially because I can make these yummy pizza boats with them!
I like my zucchini pizza boats like I like my pizza. Fully loaded, with all the toppings. Sometimes also known as a “supreme” pizza.
Reader
Love
I love this recipe! I make it all the time. I make my own spicy pizza sauce and turkey sausage crumbles and it’s delicious! It’s a new staple of mine now. Thanks so much for sharing!!
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Ingredients notes
- Olive Oil
- Italian Sausage – You can also use turkey sausage or ground beef. Or, use veggie crumbles or leave off the sausage to keep these vegetarian.
- Pizza Sauce – Or, try my homemade marinara sauce.
- Mushrooms
- Green Peppers
- Black Olives
- Red Onions
How to make them
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut zucchini in half horizontally, then scoop out the seeds. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Brown sausage. Cook sausage in a large skillet until browned. Stir in pizza sauce and heat for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Add toppings. Add sausage mixture to each zucchini boat, then top with cheese, mushrooms, green pepper, red onion and olives.
- Bake. Place into oven and bake until the zucchini is tender and the cheese has melted, about 12-18 minutes.
- Enjoy! Serve immediately, garnished with basil and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Topping ideas
I made a “supreme” pizza stuffed zucchini boats. But you can also make these with any of your favorite toppings. Here’s some other tasty options:
- Hawaiian – Ham, pineapple, red onions
- Caprese – Fresh chopped tomatoes, basil and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar
- Taco Zucchini Boats – Taco meat, cheddar cheese, black olives, salsa, sour cream (maybe even some crumbled tortilla chips on top for extra crunch)
How to make ahead and store
- You can definitely make these ahead of time and then reheat them in the microwave or in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. If reheating them in the oven, place them in a pan and wrap them tightly with foil. Because they reheat so well, I love to make extras for meal prep. They’re perfect for quick workday lunches.
FAQs
They have about 429 calories for two zucchini halves. You can cut calories even further by using turkey sausage, or leaving out the sausage entirely. You can also use reduced fat mozzarella cheese or even omit the cheese entirely for a low-fat option.
Yes! These are perfect to enjoy if you’re following a ketogenic diet. They are low carb and filled with protein from the sausage and mozzarella cheese. Zucchini are a keto friendly vegetable because they are grown above ground.
Erin’s wine pairings
- These pizza toppings of sausage, peppers and olives will pair best with a Syrah, a wine that echoes those flavors with its bold spiciness and notes of green pepper and olive.
More zucchini recipes
Did you try these pizza stuffed zucchini boats?
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PS – Be sure to check out these 29+ Healthy Sides for Pizza too!
Full Recipe
Zucchini Pizza Boats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 8 ounces Italian sausage (casing removed)
- 14 ounce jar pizza sauce
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ((6 ounces))
- 1 cup mushrooms (sliced )
- ½ green pepper (diced)
- ¼ cup red onion (diced )
- 2 Tablespoons black olives (sliced )
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil (chopped, optional)
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut each zucchini in half horizontally, then scoop out the seeds. If they don’t lie flat, trim a thin strip from the bottom. Place them on a baking sheet or in a 9×13 casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, 4-6 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in pizza sauce and heat for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Add sausage mixture to each zucchini boat, then top with cheese, mushrooms, green pepper, red onion and olives.
- Place into oven and bake until the zucchini is tender and the cheese has melted, about 12-18 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with basil and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
-
You can definitely make these ahead of time and then reheat them in the microwave or in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. If reheating them in the oven, place them in a pan and wrap them tightly with foil. Because they reheat so well, I love to make extras for meal prep. They’re perfect for quick workday lunches.
Nutrition
This zucchini pizza boat recipe was originally published in 2018. It was updated in 2023 to add new content. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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