These Low Carb Lasagna Zucchini Boats are perfect for the 21 Day Fix, Weight Watchers, or Keto Plans…and a great way to enjoy your bumper crop of fresh zucchini! Also, they are freezer friendly and perfect for meal prep! This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.
**This post was originally published on March 7, 2015 and has been updated with new pics, a printable recipe card, and a step by step guide! And while this was originally made on a snow day, I LOVE this low-carb meal during summertime zucchini season! It’s a summer tradition!**
Confession #12 – Snow days rule. That’s not really a confession, is it? I think I love them even more now than when I was a kid, if that’s possible. Spending the day snuggling with my two littles, drinking cocoa, sledding, and watching movies. What could be better?
And then there is snow day food. If there is ever a day that calls for comfort food, it’s a snow day. If your house doesn’t smell like something yummy, you’re just not doing it right. With a few simple ingredients, this great recipe comes together in no time and it’s also even yummier the next day, so it’s great for meal prep!
I make this delicious recipe all year long – in the winter when I am craving comfort food and in the summer when I have and abundance of zucchini and tons of summer squash from my garden. Also this is such an easy recipe without a lot of prep time, so you won’t be spending hours in the kitchen when you could be having fun in the snow or sun with your family!
I have wanted to try to make Zucchini Lasagna Boats for awhile now. And what better day than a snow day for the melty cheesy goodness of lasagna? Husband and 1 year old agreed – this was amazing. Picky 4 year old was her picky self.
How to make Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats:
You need the following healthy ingredients for this Zucchini Boats recipe:
- 3 large zucchini – if you have smaller zucchini or medium-sized zucchini, that is ok, just make more boats to use up all the filling. My garden zucchinis tend to be huge which works great for this.
- 1lb Italian sausage – I use my recipe to make Italian sausage out of ground chicken or ground turkey. Alternatively, you can use ground beef (or any ground meat) instead of Italian turkey sausage or chicken sausage.
- 2 cups of baby spinach, diced – you can use frozen spinach in a pinch, too or swap for green pepper or another veggie
- 1 1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese – either one works perfectly.
- 1 egg – this is a binder for the cheese, but you can definitely leave it out if you have an egg allergy
- 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese – we are going for an Italian theme here, but you can sub your favorite cheese here, too
- 1 1/4 cup of homemade marinara sauce (or no sugar added jarred sauce like Rao’s). Or, if it’s summer, use my recipe for tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes.
- optional garnish – fresh basil
It’s really simple to make these Low-carb Stuffed Zucchini Boats:
- First step, preheat your oven to 400 and spray a baking dish with olive oil cooking oil spray or line with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Then, make your zucchini boats. Cut your zucchini in half longways, then grab a small spoon or melon baller and scoop out the zucchini pulp to make a boat. And don’t throw out that zucchini flesh, either. While you won’t use it for this recipe, you can freeze it and add it to smoothies for extra veggie power! One of my favorite ways to sneak veggies in for my whole family.
- Line the hollow zucchini boats in your prepared baking dish, then sprinkle with Himalayan salt, then pre-roast your zucchini for 10-15 minutes.
- While the zucchini is in the oven, remove your sausage from it’s casing and saute in medium heat until cooked through. Then add in your spinach and saute until it wilts. Add 1/4 cup of sauce to the sausage mixture and set aside.
- Mix the egg, ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese in a bowl. Remove your zucchini boats from the oven and begin the layering process.
- Add the Italian sausage mixture to the bottom of the zucchini halves, then after the meat filling, add about 1/4 cup of the ricotta mixture. Follow that with a 2-3 tablespoons of sauce and then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Now these bad boys go in the preheated oven for another 15-20 minutes. I also love to broil at the end for a few to get that melty cheese extra crispy. If it’s summer and you have fresh herbs, throw those on, too. So freaking delicious, I can’t even.
FAQs:
I don’t like ricotta cheese. Is there a substitute?
I love the way ricotta tastes in this because we always used it in our family’s lasagna, but I have also made these with cottage cheese and that totally works, too!
I need a dairy free zucchini boat. What do you recommend?
What I love about zucchini boat recipes is how different variations all work. If you want a similarly flavored boat without the cheese, just make a simple meat sauce, add your veggies, then stuff the boats. Top with your favorite herbs or Italian seasoning, bake and enjoy!
I am looking for a vegetarian zucchini boat – can I make these Zucchini Boats without the sausage?
Yes! Just saute some veggies – red pepper, extra spinach, even the inside of the zucchini that was removed for the boats – and use that as the first layer in place of the sausage. You could also use beans for a little bit more filling for your boat. SOOO good. You can also use this Veggie Zucchini Boat recipe from Skinnytaste.
Can Zucchini Boats be frozen?
Guys…I would have thought no, but GUESS WHAT??! I tried it and it turns out you CAN freeze zucchini boats! After they cool completely, just wrap them up individually in plastic wrap and then store in a large ziplock or just freeze flat in an airtight container. For bets flavor and texture, I would use them within a few weeks. To thaw, just remove and place in your refrigerator or directly into your oven to heat before serving.
More Delicious Stuffed Zucchini Recipe ideas:
Next time, try a different variation of low carb stuffed zucchini boats, the best way to use up those fresh zucchini!
- Zucchini Taco Boats – my favorite way to stuff Zucchini on Taco Night (tip – freeze your taco meat to make this super easy to put together!)
- BBQ Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats – I love meal prepping this one with my Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats – my favorite dip stuffed into a zucchini
- Zucchini Pizza Boats | Slender Kitchen – a great cure for those pizza cravings
Also, if you love Zucchini Bread, you must try my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins! Zucchini is seriously the most versatile veggie!
Looking for more delicious Zucchini Recipes?
I have a HUGE list here: Healthy Low Carb Zucchini Recipes
Low Carb Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 3 large zucchini
- 1 lb Italian poultry sausage
- 2 cups baby spinach diced
- 1 1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 1/4 cup homemade pasta sauce or no sugar added jarred sauce like Rao's
- Fresh basil optional for garnish
Instructions
- First, preheat you oven to 400. Then, make your zucchini boats using a spoon: just scoop out the zucchini flesh to make a boat! And don’t throw out the zucchini, either. While you won’t use it for this recipe, you can freeze it and add it to smoothies later.
- Line the zucchini boats on a baking sheet, then sprinkle with Himalayan salt, then pre-roast your zucchini for 10-15 minutes.
- While the zucchini is in the oven, remove your sausage from it's casing and saute until cooked through. Then add in your spinach and saute until it wilts. Add 1/4 cup of sauce to the sausage mixture and set aside.
- Mix the egg, ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese in a bowl. Remove your zucchini boats from the oven, and blot out any excess liquid with a paper towel, then begin the layering process.
- First add the sausage mixture to the bottom of the zucchini boats, then add about 1/4 cup of the ricotta mixture. Follow that with a 2-3 tablespoons of sauce and then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Place back in your oven to back for an additional 20 minutes, broiling for the last few minutes if desired.
- Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!
Jessica Brand says
I made this last night and it was amazing! Even my 4 year old who doesn’t eat anything loved it and ate every bite. It was easy peasy to make. I will definitely be making this again! #confessionscookingclub
Nancylynn says
This is amazing – thank you! That 4 year old crowd is tough to win over so this is huge praise!
Teresa Cypert says
Another amazing recipe by NancyLynn! And another one that is super adaptable for families that have members averse to zucchini 😂 I made my dinner as the recipe says (with 2 halves) and then I made rotini pasta for my family. I threw some sauce in the bottom of a glass dish, then pasta, then the ricotta mix, then the sausage mix, a little more sauce, and then topped with a bunch of cheese. I baked it about 10-15 min and then broiled. They LOVED it! In the future, I may throw in those zucchini guts to give them a few more veggies 🤪
Nancylynn says
We are all for the hidden veggies around here! And thank you for sharing how you made it work for your family without making a whole other meal – sooo helpful!
Paulette says
My amazing friend and coworker Carrie made this and shared with me. They were so good!! Not watery! which has been my experience with zucchini recipes.
Nancylynn says
I’m so glad you liked them and the zucchini stayed nice and “dry”. Thank you for your comment!
Barry says
My co-worker Carrie brought these to work for me to try because she knows I am interested in keto. They were absolutely amazing! I’m very excited to try and make them at home. Even reheated they were so so tasty.
Nancylynn says
Thank you for your comment Barry! We all need co-workers like Carrie!
Noriko says
My friend, Carrie brought it to work to share at work. It was amazing!
Nancylynn says
What a good friend! Thank you for your comment!
Melissa Oates says
Made this for my family this evening for dinner and they loved it. Adding it to my meal rotations for sure!
Nancylynn says
Love this, thank you!
Mary says
This was so delicious! Thank you! I’ve an abundance of zucchini from my garden. Will definitely be doing this one again! And try the other zucchini boats
Nancylynn says
Oooh sounds like the perfect use for that garden zucchini! I hope you make one of the other boats for the August cooking club too!
Carrie Dunning says
These sound so yummy, I can’t wait to try it! Is there any special tips i should have in mind when I prep them as freezer meals?
Carrie Dunning says
These were super FUN to make and DELICIOUS to eat! I was excited about the August Cooking Club, mainly cuz I have a garden full of zucchini AND a workplace full of coworkers who follow a Keto Lifestyle. Since Keto is not something I do, I often don’t have fun food to share with them. Ha! But, with this recipe being keto-friendly, i brought in an entire pan to share and they disappeared so fast! They were enjoyed by all, including me! We have at least 5 new Confessions fans outta it, too! They each asked for the recipe! Yay!
Nancylynn says
Carrie you are the best hype woman!! Thank you for sharing with your coworkers and spreading the word!!
Bianca says
Hi, can you break down how you got 1 1/2 of the green container please.
Nancylynn says
I count tomato sauce as a green, since it’s no sugar added. So its calculated between the hollowed out zucchini, spinach, and tomato sauce, divided across 6 servings. If you have really large zucchini it could probably count as closer to 2 GREEN per serving.
Joyce says
My partner and I had these last night and they taste amazing and were so filling! This is one recipe we’ll definitely be making again! Thanks, Nancylynn!!
Kristy says
This was amazing!! All my boys ate this, even the 1 year old. I have 2 dairy allergy children so in one dish I did a coconut milk Cream and lemon juice mix to create a sour cream type base mixed with egg and dairy free mozzarella, wow! My 7 year old had 2 and asked to make sure I saved him one:) thanks for all your wonderful dishes.
Kristie Speers says
I would like the homemade spaghetti sauce recipe.
Nancylynn says
Here you go!
https://confessionsofafitfoodie.com/2015/03/21-day-fix-homemade-tomato-sauce/
Natalie says
Hi, can we substitute the cottage cheese for ricotta? Thank you!
Nancylynn says
YES!