Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Just scoop out the inside of a zucchini, saute the inside parts up with hot Italian sausage, onions, garlic, and spices, then refill the hollowed out parts with the stuffing, top it with Parmesan cheese, and bake it. Simple as that! These little zucchini boats go very well with pasta on the side.

Ingredients
4 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise, with the inside part scooped out and diced
2 links Italian sausage (hot or sweet), casings removed
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little more to sprinkle on top
1 egg, scrambled
10 leaves fresh basil, minced
2 teaspoons italian seasoning (I made my own here)
Salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and par boil the shells of the zucchini for just two minutes. Place them on an oiled cookie sheet. (If you serve these with pasta on the side, reuse the water to cook the pasta!)

Saute the sausage meat in a pan and break into small pieces as it cooks. Once the meat is fully cooked, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and put it in a large bowl. In the same pan, cook the onions for five minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute, then add the diced zucchini. Sprinkle with Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper, and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add this mixture to the sausage meat, and add breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, and basil, and stir until just combined.

Fill the zucchini boats with the sausage mixture, and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.