Italian Sausage Zucchini Boats

I love zucchini for its versatility, its one of those veggies that just kind of goes with anything really. I also really like Italian dishes, so when I came up with the idea to put an Italian twist and use my zucchini, I knew I was on to something.

These Italian Sausage Zucchini Boats are great for a busy week night. It's one of those recipes that you can prepare two things at once, which cuts down on the time from stove to table. This meal probably took about 20 minutes to make - which is my ideal time for a weeknight dinner.

For this recipe I planned to use two zucchinis, figuring my husband and I would probably each have one (two halves), so it was going to be perfect. I have to say though, with some garlic toast on the side, we both ended up being quite full after just one boat! Not a bad problem to have though since this recipe made a great lunch the next day at work too. 

Italian Sausage Zucchini Boats

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
Olive oil
1 package Italian Sausage
1 jar Prego pasta sauce
1/2-3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Optional: sliced mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, green pepper, etc.

Directions
1) Wash and dry zucchinis and cut in half length-wise. Make a small tunnel in each zucchini half to create a 'boat'.  Place skin-side down on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and put in oven, preheated to 350F.

2) Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large skillet according to package directions. Drain excess grease.

3) Add sauce and any veggies and mushrooms to skillet. Stir and heat over medium-low.

4) Remove zucchini from oven. Top each half with sausage mixture. Spread mozzarella cheese evenly on top of sausage. Place under broiler until cheese is melted.