Zucchini Boats with Italian Sausage

Very yum! Made these with mom, and as it was just the two of us, we made only half of the original recipe. 10/10, would happily make again!

Original recipe credit: https://www.landolakes.com/recipe/9758/italian-sausage-stuffed-zucchini/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

2 medium to large zucchini (around 10 oz each)

1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage

1/2 c. diced tomatoes (preferably fresh)

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/2 tsp. bottled minced garlic

salt & pepper, to taste

4 oz/ (1 c.) shredded mozzarella (or cheese blend, like we used)

1/4 c. panko

2 T. grated Pecorino Romano

1 T. cold salted butter, cut in very small dice

chopped fresh basil, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise, then sccop out insides, leaving a 1/4" shell. Discard scooped out insides. Place the zucchini cut-side up in an 8" x 8" (or similar) dish and salt the insides lightly.

2. Heat oven to 400°F.

3. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add the Italian sausage. Cook, breaking up into crumbles, until no longer pink (around 7-8 min). *if using a regular skillet, you may need to add a bit of olive oil first to keep from sticking*

4. Drain any excess grease from pan, leaving sausage in the pan. Add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated (around 4-5 min.)

5. Remove from heat and stir in the mozzarella. Fill the zucchini boats with this mixture, dividing as evenly as possible between them.

6. In a small bowl, combine the panko and Pecorino Romano. Use this mixture to top the filled zucchini boats.

7. Dot each topped boat with a few of the cut up butter dice. Transfer to oven and bake for 25-30 min, until topping is crisped and golden brown.

8. After removing from oven, top each boat with a bit of chopped fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!