Zucchini Boats
Zucchini boats are a family favorite, especially as the weather cools down. My favorite part about this recipe is incorporating the chopped zucchini “guts” into the sauce – it blends in seamlessly with the meat and tomato sauce and packs a great extra boost of fiber! The other nice part of this recipe is how flexible the ingredients are – it will taste great with whatever spaghetti sauce you have on hand even if you’re out of garlic or onions.
At my house, we like to serve these with wheat rolls, but they would also be delicious with a side of pasta.
Zucchini Boats
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 large zucchini
1 18- to 26-ounce jar marinara sauce
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp pepper
1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey
2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella, Jack, parmesan, or a combination)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8x8” pan with cooking spray and spread ½ cup of marinara sauce evenly over the bottom.
Cut the ends off of each zucchini and cut in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seedy part of the zucchini (the “guts”) to create the boats.
Roughly chop the zucchini “guts” and set aside.
Add oil to skillet and heat over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add ground meat, “guts,” oregano, and pepper. Cook, breaking up any larger chunks of meat, until fully cooked through.
Add the marinara sauce and stir to combine.
Arrange the boats side by side in the pan and fill each one with the meat sauce. Add the remaining meat sauce on top or freeze it to use in a meal another night.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Carefully remove the foil and top with cheese. Bake for 5-10 additional minutes until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
About Jessi Masserano
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