Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Ricotta (Low-Carb)

If you’re looking for a healthy, easy, low-carb meal that is also delicious, look no further! These sausage stuffed zucchini boats with ricotta, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes are the perfect way to use beautiful summer produce when in season!

This recipe is truly inspired by abundant spring and summer produce. I remember walking along and seeing some absolutely gorgeous zucchinis (courgettes), and was reminded of my cute little cherry tomatoes growing on the vine at home! And that’s how this recipe started. Plus, I always feel a little cool when I stuff vegetables – I can’t explain it! Like when I make Balkan stuffed capsicums, or Balkan stuffed cabbage leaves. I just think it’s a fun and creative way to cook!

As a certified horticulturalist, I can’t tell you how much excitement the eager anticipation of abundant produce gives me. And I really do believe cooking seasonally is so important! Not only is seasonal produce more affordable, it tastes better (and it’s better for the environment!). These sausage stuffed zucchini boats are a celebration of seasonal produce. They’re absolutely delicious, low-carb, and rather pretty if you ask me!

Ingredients

Of course, you’ll need zucchinis (courgettes) for this recipe! For the stuffing, you’ll also need an eggplant (aubergine), cherry tomatoes, passata (or crushed tomato), garlic, onion, fennel seeds, and oregano. And of course, sausage! For this recipe, I use pork and fennel sausage which I like to boost with extra fennel seeds. Plus, the fattiness of the pork helps keep these zucchini boats juicy even after baking. But feel free to use any kind of sausage you like!

You’ll also need ricotta cheese to blob on top of these sausage stuffed zucchini boats. Many recipes use mozzarella cheese for this (and you can, if you like)! But, first of all, I am personally obsessed with ricotta. And second, I think the creaminess of the ricotta balances the rest of the dish beautifully!

How to Make these Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

First thing’s first, scoop out the zucchini seeds with a spoon – but don’t throw them away! Chop them up, along with your eggplant, garlic, and onion.

Then fry them off along with the cherry tomatoes in some olive oil. The key here is to cook as much moisture out of the vegetables as possible. A pinch of salt helps with this! Otherwise, you’ll end up with a watery stuffing that doesn’t really hold together.

Typically, stuffed zucchini boats call for breadcrumbs or egg as a binder for the filling. But the eggplant here acts as the binder! As it cooks, it becomes thick and sticky and delicious, and helps keep the filling together. The fat from the sausage also helps with this. So this recipe is low-carb, as well as gluten-free!

Once the vegetables have deeply caramelised and softened, throw in your sausage meat (remove the casing). Also throw in your fennel seeds and oregano, and then fry until the sausage is almost cooked.

Pour in your passata to transform this into a thick, luscious sauce, and adjust for salt and pepper.

Then, just spoon the filling into your hollowed-out zucchinis, top with some ricotta, drizzle some olive oil. Finally, bake for around 25 minutes.

The ricotta will be creamy and delicious, the filling will have thickened slightly, and the zucchini should be tender. Top with olive oil and fresh basil and enjoy! These sausage stuffed zucchini boats are a lovely appetizer, side dish, or a beautiful, fresh lunch to enjoy outside in the sunshine!

I truly hope you love this recipe! xxx

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Ricotta (Low-Carb)

Author: Hasti Courses: Appetizers, Lunch

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 40 mins Total Time 50 mins

Servings: 5

Ingredients

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Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 5 large zucchinis
• 500 g pork and fennel sausage ((any meat/sausage flavour would work here))
• 1 small eggplant
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 brown onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 cup passata (or crushed tomato)
• 10 tbsp smooth ricotta (roughly 230-250g)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ¹⁄₂ tsp black pepper
• ¹⁄₂ tsp salt (adjust to taste - will depend on the saltiness of the sausage)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
• Small handful of fresh basil (optional - for garnish)

Method

1. Slice your zucchinis in half, lengthways. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and fleshy core - do not throw away!

2. Roughly chop the zucchini cores and garlic, and dice the eggplant and onion. Heat a pan on medium heat, and add the olive oil. Throw in the zucchini cores, eggplant, onion, garlic, and whole cherry tomatoes with a pinch of salt to help everything soften. Cook for roughly 10 minutes, or until the moisture has been cooked out, and you have a thick mixture with vegetables that are deeply caramelised and soft.

3. Remove the sausage casing and throw the sausage meat into the pan. Add the fennel seeds, dried oregano, and pepper (add salt at the end, as this will depend on the particular sausage you buy!). Cook for around 5 minutes, or until the sausage is almost cooked through.

4. Pour in the passata, give everything a mix, and adjust for salt. Turn off the heat.

5. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan. Arrange your hollowed-out zucchinis in a large baking dish. Generously spoon the sausage mixture into each zucchini (don't be afraid to pile it high!). Top each zucchini half with 1 tablespoon of ricotta. Drizzle with olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until the zucchinis are tender.

6. To serve, drizzle on some olive oil, and tear up some fresh basil leaves for garnish. Enjoy!

Keywords: sausage, stuffed, zucchini, baked, ricotta, low-carb, courgette

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