All aboard for Zucchini Pizza Boats

Credit: Recipe and photo from BudgetBytes.com

Looking for ways to double down on nutrition in your diet or get your kids to eat more veggies? This recipe for delicious Zucchini Pizza Boats from BudgetBytes.com will make for smooth sailing either way! Zucchini—no matter if it’s grown in your garden or picked up at a Food Bank distribution—makes for a perfectly nutritious vessel to transport all that Italian flavor and cheesy goodness to your taste buds!

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 med. zucchini 
  • 8 oz. can tomato sauce 
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend 
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella 
  • 2 oz. can sliced black olives (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash the zucchini well to remove any grit. Slice the zucchini lengthwise and, using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the center. Leave about one centimeter of zucchini around the edges. Save the scooped out zucchini flesh in a bowl.

Place the scooped out zucchini halves on a baking sheet. Dump the reserved zucchini flesh out onto a cutting board and chop it into smaller pieces. Return the chopped pieces to the bowl and stir in the tomato sauce, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

Refill the zucchini halves with the prepared mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese and black olives. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is slightly browned. The longer the zucchini are in the oven, the softer they’ll be so if you like firmer zucchini, bake for a shorter amount of time.