Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Boats
Back by popular demand. Try these Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Boats as your next no-carb meal! With only 5 ingredients, this is a fantastic, quick and easy, satisfying, and perfect meal you can whip up in minutes. A recipe so simple, even your kids can join in on the fun to make these yummy zucchini pepperoni pizza boats. Perfect for Keto, Gluten-free, and Low-Calorie meals.
These delicious zucchini boats…
I guess there’s no shame in really loving zucchini boats. Even though I’m a pasta gal who loves carbs and her pasta.
And despite the hollowing, stuffing-topping-baking session, it is the easiest meal in the world to put together!
My family loves pepperoni pizza.
So when my girls flew down to stay in Charleston for a while and requested a no-carb dinner, these zucchini pepperoni pizza boats came to mind – it was a no-brainer.
So delicious! I could have eaten the entire thing. The crunchy texture on the bottom was perfect, with soft bites – just like a pizza!
Crazy right?
That combination is a wonderful solution for a delicious way to enjoy your favorite pepperoni pizza without any carbs… what’s-so-ever!
The filling is simply our mom’s quick marinara sauce, grated cheese, shredded mozzarella, and topped with pepperoni slices.
The best part? Two zucchini pizza boats are only 152 calories! (yay!!)
So let’s get started!
How to make these Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Boats?
With a few zucchini’s along with some marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices, that’s basically all you need. The rest is easy!
Ingredients needed for this recipe…
-
zucchini
-
seasonings, salt, and pepper
-
prepared marinara sauce
-
grated pecorino cheese
-
shredded mozzarella cheese (whole milk or part-skim)
-
pepperoni slices
(*Follow along with our Easy to Follow- STEP-BY-STEP Directions!)
DIRECTIONS To Make These Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Boats:
1. First, you will need to rinse the zucchini and then slice them lengthwise.
2. Then use a small spoon to scrape and scoop some of the flesh out to hollow out each one (see my notes about the flesh below).
3. Transfer zucchini to a baking dish.
4. Next, spoon some marinara sauce into each zucchini, then sprinkle with grated cheese and then with shredded mozzarella. There’s no need for exact measurements, more or less is fine.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F, for 15 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and top each zucchini with a few slices of pepperoni.
6. Finally, return them back to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a serving platter and now your scrumptious zucchini pepperoni pizza boats are ready to serve!
Questions and Answers…
1. Do We Need to Scrape or Peel the Zucchini?ย
It’s not necessary to scrape or peel them, especially if they are organic. Give them a good rinse and slice them in halves. If they are not organic, I prefer to scrape the zucchini using a knife, rather than peel them, it’s just faster and easier for me.
2. What To Do With the Remaining Flesh of the Zucchini?
You can use all that perfectly good zucchini flesh! I place the extra flesh into a sealed container and save it in the fridge, but I recommend using it within a few days.
I may chop the flesh and toss them into my soups. Or it’s perfect to use it with our recipe for death by chocolate zucchini muffins and our best zucchini bread, then you can freeze your baked goods!
3. Can We Use a Different Tomato Sauce?
Yes, you can! You can use your favorite meat sauce or any tomato sauce of your choice and even jarred sauce to make these zucchini pepperoni pizza boats. You may recall our older post for zucchini stuffed with bolognese and cheese. It too is fantastic!
More Tasty Zucchini Boats!
- Zucchini Stuffed with Sausage Ragu and Cheese
- Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini
- Zucchini Stuffed with Bolognese and Cheese
… Thanks for PINNING!
Your family will LOVE these zucchini pepperoni pizza boats!
And, I have to tell you, I didn’t take photos the first time I made them, so I had to make a second small batch again the next morning just to get these photos for this post. Yep, I did.
I didn’t mind, I had them for lunch. ๐
This is such a delicious dish, I bet you will make these over and over again. For me, it made dinner a pleasure to put together.
I served it with a green salad on the side. I think you should make them!
ENJOY!!
Finally, More Reasons to LOVE Zucchini!
- Best Zucchini Lasagna – without Noodles!
- Roasted Zucchini Parmesan- Lightened!
- Zucchini Rollatini with Spinach and Cheese
- Healthy Butternut Squash Zucchini Soup
- Mom’s Best Zucchini Omelet
- Roasted Parmesan Zucchini
- Triple Chocolate Zucchini Bread- The Chocolate Lover’s Bread!
- Creamy Potato and Zucchini Au Gratin- Italian Style!
- Zucchini Sticks Oreganata
- Baked Twice Zucchini and Cheese Pizza
Yield: 2 servings
Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Boats
Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Boatsย are delicious, quick and easy to serve the whole family.ย With only 5 ingredients, you can have this no-carb meal whipped up in minutes.ย A recipe so simple, even your kids can join in the kitchen to help make these fun and yummy zucchini pepperoni pizza boats.ย ย
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 medium-size zucchini - rinsed
- 1 cup prepared marinara sauce
- grated pecorino cheese
- shredded mozzarella
- 1 package sliced pepperoni
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Lightly spray a (3 quart) baking dish or a Pyrex dish with cooking oil and set aside.
- On a cutting board, slice zucchini lengthwise, using a teaspoon and scoop out the seeds from the center and lightly scrape the sides to remove all seeds from the zucchini, then transfer on a baking dish. Lightly season hollowed zucchini with some salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Fill each zucchini boat with some marinara sauce. Scatter on top with some grated pecorino cheese, about 1 teaspoon or more, if needed. Then top with some shredded mozzarella.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden color. Carefully remove from oven and top with sliced pepperoni on top of each boat.
- Then return the baking dish to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 10 or 12 minutes. Zucchini is also done when you poke it with a fork to see if they are tender.
- Remove and transfer to a serving platter, then serve.
- Yields: 2 zucchini boats per person.
Notes
I made only 2 servings, which gives each serving 2 zucchini boats. If you need to make additional servings, just double the ingredients and have fun!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2 servingsServing Size:
1 serving (2 boats)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 152Total Fat: 12.1gFiber: 5.4gProtein: 12.1g
What a great idea! I love zucchini in any form, and theyโre doing really well in the garden this year. Canโt wait to make these!
Thanks so much Mimi! These are terrific for an easy dinner or lunch! Enjoy! ๐
Great idea and they look delicious! I may not even miss the pizza crust ๐
That is exactly right! We didn’t miss the pizza crust! You will postivily love these zucchini boats! Stay safe and stay in the kitchen! ๐