Zucchini Boats
To be honest; zucchini isn’t usually my go-to veggie. It’s
tasty enough,
but squash and I have a spotty relationship.
That being
said, I think one of the best ways to enjoy
zucchini is by
making stuffed zucchini boats.
I decided to
go with an Italian theme for these (what can I
say, we cook
what we know!). This is a variation of my
Stuffed
Peppers Casserole and it is so good! It comes
together
pretty quickly and easily but I went with more
nutritious
ingredients to eliminate the guilt.
Tips for making Baked Zucchini
§ 1) The
easiest way to remove the zucchini seeds is to use a spoon to gently scrape
them out.
§ I 2) bake
these with the cut side up. Give them a quick spray with olive oil cooking
spray and a sprinkle of salt and pepper for even more flavor before they go
into the oven the first time.
§ 3) To
measure the water, just fill the empty small sauce can half way. This helps get
any leftover sauce out of the can and gives you the right amount of water.
§ 4) This is
a great way to use leftover rice, but you can always buy one of the
microwavable containers of rice, just be sure it’s plain.
§ 5) Be sure
to taste the filling before stuffing the zucchini and adjust the seasonings to
your taste.
How do I prepare zucchini for
stuffed zucchini?
The first thing I do is wash
the zucchini. Then I cut each
zucchini in half length-wise. By
taking a spoon, I scoop out
the seeds from the middle to
hollow them out (bring
careful not to go all the way
through). Then I place them
cut-side up on a lines sheet
pan. I spray with olive oil
cooking spray and season
lightly with salt and pepper and
preface them so begin the
cooking process while I prepare
the filling.
Do I have to precook the zucchini?
I would
recommend it so that the zucchini isn’t overly
crispy and under-cooked.
Ingredients
1)
4 medium zucchini, cleaned, halved length-wise
and seeds scooped out.
2)
Cooking spray
3)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt + additional for
precooking the zucchini
4)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper + additional for
precooking the zucchini
5)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6)
1 medium onion, finely diced
7)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
8)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
9)
1 pound ground turkey
10) 1 teaspoon Italian
seasoning
11) 3 Tablespoons Romano
cheese
12) 1 8
ounce can tomato sauce
13) 4 ounces water (1/2
of the empty tomato sauce can)
14) 1 medium tomato, seeded
and finely diced
15) 1 cup cooked
rice
16)
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
1.
Preheat the oven to
400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone liner.
2.
Place zucchini halves
cut-side up, onto the pan. Do a cooking
spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 10 minutes and then
remove from the oven and set aside.
3.
While the zucchini
bakes, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
4.
Add onion and peppers
to the pan and saute for around 4 minutes to soften.
5.
Add garlic and saute
for 1 minute more.
6.
Add ground turkey and
brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon around 3-5 minutes.
7.
Reduce heat to medium
and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/ teaspoon pepper, Italian seasoning,
Romano cheese, sauce, water and diced tomato. Saute for 5-7 minutes.
8.
Add cooked rice and
stir to combine, remove from heat.
9.
Divide mixture between
each zucchini boat and sprinkle each with mozzarella cheese.
10.
Bake uncovered for 15
more minutes and serve immediately.
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