My baked zucchini boats all ready to eat!! Look at all the melty cheese. So delicious! Cheese is a must with these, in my opinion.
Looking at these hollowed out zucchini below, you can see why they are called "boats". This is a fun recipe to prepare and a popular recipe, especially in the summertime.
My stuffed zucchini ready to go in the oven. You can see each zucchini boat will be a substantial amount. Two of those and it will be a satisfying meal, perhaps alongside your favorite salad and favorite dressing. Hmmm....yum!!
CHEESY STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS
One fabulous way to serve zucchini is to use them as boats to stuff with meat, marinara and cheese filling. Hmm, did I say cheese! I like to use a lot of cheese when making these. When there is an abundance of zucchini coming out of summer gardens everywhere, this is a staple type of recipe which makes a lovely lunch or supper. You can also eggplant in the same manner - Japanese eggplant (the long, skinny kind).
4 large zucchini (makes 8 boats)
1 lb lean ground beef (0.45 kg)
1 lb ground sausage meat (I remove sausage from casings) (0.45 kg)
2 tsp crushed garlic (10 mL)
2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese (500 mL)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (125 mL)
(the kind in a can)
2 tbsp coconut flour (30 mL)
Easy Marinara Sauce:
14 oz canned, finely diced tomatoes, OR fresh, chopped tomatoes (397 g)
1 tsp salt (5 mL)
1/2 tsp dried basil (2 mL)
1/2 tsp dried oregano (2 mL)
1/2 tsp dried thyme (2 mL)
1/4 tsp black pepper (1 mL)
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp. Chop pulp finely and set aside.
In large frying pan, over medium heat, cook ground beef, sausage meat and garlic until browned and cooked through. Pour off fat, if necessary. Stir in 1/2 cup (125 mL) Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese, plus 1 cup (250 mL) of the reserved zucchini pulp and coconut flour. Now stir in the Marinara Sauce. Use the remainder of the pulp in a veggie stir-fry, if desired. Stuff the zucchinis and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 40 minutes. Cover with 1 cup (250 mL) Mozzarella cheese. Bake another 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and zucchini are getting quite soft. Cover with the remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) Mozzarella cheese and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the zucchinis are completely soft to the tip of a sharp paring knife.
Marinara Sauce: In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano, thyme and pepper.
Yield: 8 servings
1 serving
502.2 calories
29.7 g protein
38.8 g fat
3.5 g fiber
6.9 g net carbs
END OF RECIPE
