Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini with Sausage and Cheese
Sneak Preview: These stuffed 8-ball zucchini are filled with sausage, tomatoes, peppers, and cheese, then baked until bubbly. A colorful summer dinner ready in about 40 minutes.summer dinner that’s ready in about 40 minutes.
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I picked up a few 8-ball zucchini at a roadside produce stand simply because they looked interesting—like little yellow and green pumpkins. If you’ve ever done the same, or you grow them yourself, here’s a simple way to turn these round summer squash into a satisfying main dish. Stuffed with sausage, sautéed veggies, and cheese, these bake up beautifully and make a fun change from the usual zucchini boat.
Ingredients & Substitutions
• 8-BALL ZUCCHINI: Yellow or green varieties both work. Look for squash that are firm and roughly the size of a softball.
• HOT BREAKFAST SAUSAGE: Substitute mild breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, turkey sausage, or plant-based sausage if preferred.
• ONION: Adds flavor to the filling. Leave it out if you don’t keep onions on hand.
• GARLIC: Fresh garlic gives the best flavor, but garlic paste or minced garlic from a jar will work.
• BELL PEPPER OR JALAPEÑO: Bell pepper keeps the filling mild. Use jalapeño for extra heat.
• TOMATO: Fresh garden tomatoes are ideal, but any ripe tomato works.
• MONTEREY JACK OR CHEDDAR CHEESE: Either cheese melts well. Pepper Jack is a good choice if you like a little spice.
• SALT AND PEPPER: Season to taste after the sausage and vegetables are combined.
Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini with Sausage and Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 medium (784 g) 8-ball zucchini
- ½ pound (227 g) hot breakfast sausage (ground)
- ¼ cup (40 g) onions chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic chopped
- ¼ cup (38 g) bell peppers chopped or 1 teaspoon jalapeno, chopped
- 1 medium (123 g) tomato chopped
- 3 ounces (85 g) Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set to 350˚F (180˚C).
- Prepare the squash: Slice off the stem end of 4 medium (784 g) 8-ball zucchini. Place upside down in a pan with 1 inch of water and boil for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
- Scoop the insides: Use a grapefruit spoon or melon baller to hollow out the zucchini. Drain the scooped flesh in a colander and chop.
- Cook the filling: Brown 1/2 pound (227 g) hot breakfast sausage (ground) in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup (40 g) onions, 1 teaspoon fresh garlic and 1/4 cup (38 g) bell peppers or jalapeño. Cook until vegetables are soft.
- Add tomato and squash: Stir in the chopped 1 medium (123 g) tomato and drained squash. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in half the cheese (3 ounces (85 g) Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese) and remove from heat.
- Stuff the zucchini: Fill each hollowed squash with the sausage mixture. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake: Place stuffed zucchini in a baking dish and bake at 350˚F (180˚C) until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15–20 minutes.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for SaladinaJar.com
Final Thoughts
Whether you grow 8-ball zucchini or pick them up at the market, this stuffed version is a fun way to serve a vegetable that already looks like a little bowl. It’s flexible, flavorful, and makes dinner feel just a little more special.
— Paula, Home Economist
Homemade Food Worth Sharing
Need help troubleshooting?
Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com — photos help!
Related Recipes from My Kitchen
Looking for more ways to use summer squash? Try these reader favorites:
- Squash Patties: A Fun-To-Eat Side Dish,
- Colorful Yellow Squash Casserole (Like a Soufflé)
- Nice and Spicy Summer Squash Casserole with Stuffing and Green Chiles.
Besides being really yummy, they make an interesting, fun, and impressive presentation!
I grow them in a wine barrow, pick, and steam in the a.m., and pop them in the fridge. Then clean, stuff, and cook in the afternoon/evening. Or heck, just do it all in the morning and heat ’em up for dinner!
Hi Jennifer,
You grow them in a wine barrow? I’m impressed. What fun!!
I just bought some 8-ball squash today and was looking for recipe. This recipe sounds YUM … I will have to substitute sausage with quinoa since I am a vegetarian.
Thank you so much
Love your idea to use quinoa. Think I’ll try that myself. Thanks for writing.
Omg! These look delicious! I can’t wait to try them for dinner sometime soon!
Could the zucchini be stuffed then frozen for future use?
This looks original and delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Your stuffed squash looks delicious! The fact that you are using almost perfectly round squash…Impressive!
I love all things stuffed…lemons are adorable emptied and stuffed and baked. Yum. This looks really good too. Well done
OMG….now that looks really GOOD!
looks yum yum….and very colourful too