This stuffed zucchini recipe isn’t your average “zucchini boat.” I’ve never been a huge fan of the soggy spaghetti sauce-filled squashes and wanted to create a more elevated version. I prefer medium sized zucchini for this recipe and I cook them on the grill! It imparts some smoky char to the vegetables and then they’re filled with a savory, cheesy filling and topped with toasty breadcrumbs. This recipe can be a great main dish, or a side!
Ingredients Needed
- Zucchini – This recipe is designed for a medium sized zucchini, about 8-10″ long. If you’re using extra large zucchini, you’ll want to double the filling
- Italian Chicken or Turkey Sausage – regular Italian sausage is just fine as well.
- Onion – any color is fine!
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Basil
- Mozarella Cheese
- Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
How to make Grilled Stuffed Zucchini
- Start by slicing your zucchini in half length-wise.
- Carefully scoop out the centers and then rub your zucchini with a little oil, salt and pepper. Place zucchini on the grill to get a little charred.
- Whip up your filling on the stove top by sauteing some Italian sausage (I like to use a chicken or turkey sausage) with garlic, onion, tomato, garlic, and some of the diced zucchini.
- Add some cheese and then stuff the zucchini shells. Top with more cheese and a some panko bread crumbs and then return to the grill until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.
How to Serve Grilled Stuffed Zucchini
- These are great as a main dish served with some crusty bread and/or a side salad. I plan for one zucchini half per person when it’s served with some sides.
- It also makes a great side, just cut the the zucchini into about thirds after they’re all done cooking.
- A fun way to plate this is to put a bed of ricotta on the plate, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. A whipped feta is also delicious. It warms and melts as the hot zucchini gets set on top and kind of creates a creamy sauce.
Grilled Stuffed Zucchini
Perfectly grilled zucchini, stuffed with a savory mixture of Italian sausage, veggies, cheese and breadcrumbs.
Servings servings
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini, medium about 10″
- 8 ounces Italian turkey sausage
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tomato medium or large plum tomato
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh minced basil
- 1 cup shredded mozarella cheese divided
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Slice zucchini in half length wise, leaving the tops on.
- Carefully scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave about ¼ inch thickness around the edges and bottoms. Dice up about ½-¾ cup of zucchini flesh from the parts you scooped out. I aim for the parts that aren't super seedy. This will go in your filling. (Feel free to save the rest of your zucchini scraps for soup or zucchini bread!)
- Drizzle the zucchini shells with a little olive oil and use your hands to rub it on all sides. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and black pepper and set aside.
- Preheat your grill outside and then start your filling in a skillet on the stovetop. Heat a skillet to medium heat and give it a light drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add sausage and onions and cook until you no longer see pink in the meat. Add zucchini and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender. Add tomato and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Take your zucchini to the grill and put them hollow-side down. Grill for about 5 minutes on medium heat. They should have nice charred marks and look tender on the inside, but still be firm enough to pick up without falling apart.
- Take zucchini back inside. Stir 1/2 cup shredded cheese into filling, then distribute filling equally between zucchini. Top each zucchini with remaining cheese, and add extra if you like!
- Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of seasoned panko crumbs on top of each zucchini and give them a light drizzle of olive oil to help the bread crumbs toast.
- Place them back on the grill, filling side up. If you have a grill safe pan (such as cast iron) it's very helpful here and helps reduce the risk of spilling the filling out. Close grill lid, and cook for another 5-ish minutes. Larger, thicker zucchini may take longer. Cheese should be melted and bubbly.
- Remove from grill and serve.
Notes
- You can serve them as a main dish and pair it with a green salad and some crusty bread. Or cut them into thirds for a side dish or appetizer.
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 748mg, Potassium: 497mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 723IU, Vitamin C: 40mg, Calcium: 187mg, Iron: 6mg
Calories: 223kcal
Cost: $10
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Questions & Reviews
Delicious! I discovered my grill had no propane, so I had to use my little countertop electric grill. To solve the “no lid” problem, I took the bottom of a broiling pan and put it on top. Worked perfectly. I was also naughty and used pork Italian sausage instead of turkey – can’t say I have regrets. 🙂
Made this tonight & we LOVED it! My husband asked what it was called & I told him, he said we should call it Zucchini Gondola!
This sounds lovely! Just uncovered 2 huge zucchini hiding in my garden; perfect for tonight’s dinner. Thanks.
This was SO TASTY! We got a HUGE (like over a foot and a half huge) zucchini from family this weekend & we turned half of it into a stuffed zucchini and the other half grilled on foil with onion – super filling and way more than the 2 of us could eat. THANKS & YUM
Oh man, I have been drooling over these since I got the cookbook for mother’s day. But everytime I go to the grocery store, all they have are these little baby zucchini the size of a pickle. And I have tried several different stores, but no good size ones yet, so anxious to make em, they look amazing!!!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it for my Mom’s Bday! But where did your “printer friendly” button go??
Oh My!!!! I made this as a main dish and my family loved them, this will be a yummy addition to our dinner selection!!!
This is the BEST stuffed zucchini ever! My husband even loved it which is saying something.
However I did use regular breakfast sausage instead of italian because we really don't care for italian sasuage. I put some thyme and sage in my sasuage while it was browning too.
This was the best stuffed zuchini I ever had, I tweaked recipe based on what I had which was Lebanese zucchini (we planted the wrong kind and I haven't known what to do with it, they are basically much fatter) so I doubled the filling to fill them, also since Lebanese zucchini are meant for stuffing there is no usable zuke to add to mixture so I upped onions & tomatoes, also had apple & onion sausage (not turkey) and instead of basil I used ground all spice (~ 1 tsp) since that is traditional to Lebanese zucchini. Steps were perfect, time was perfect and it came out amazing. Will make this again soon.
I love recipes that are good and sooo easy, and this was delicious! Thanks!