Recipe: Yummy Italian stuffed zucchini boats

Italian stuffed zucchini boats. This low-carb, Italian-inspired dish has so much going for it! It involves lean ground turkey, fresh veggies, and is topped with cheese and toasted bread. For this Italian stuffed zucchini, I opted for an easy bolognese sauce that goes right in the zucchini boats and then all you have to do is add cheese on top before you bake them!

Healthy, low carb, and so easy to make, don't miss these delicious Stuffed Zucchini Boats filled with lean ground turkey and tasty Italian flavors. But these Stuffed Italian Zucchini Boats actually dabble in both realms. Sprinkle the stuffed zucchini boats with cheese and bake! You can cook Italian stuffed zucchini boats using 16 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Italian stuffed zucchini boats

1. It's 3 of medium, uniformly-sized zucchini.
2. Prepare 1 (24 oz) of jar tomato basil marinara, divided.
3. It's 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
4. You need 1 lb of ground turkey or Italian sausage.
5. It's 1/3 cup of diced onion.
6. Prepare 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
7. You need 1/3 of diced red bell pepper.
8. Prepare 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms.
9. You need 1/4 cup of chopped Italian parsley.
10. Prepare 1 tablespoon of Italian herb seasoning.
11. Prepare 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
12. Prepare to taste of Fresh cracked black pepper.
13. You need 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flake.
14. You need 1 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
15. It's 1/4 cup of shaved parmesan.
16. Prepare 3 tablespoon of Italian Panko bread crumbs.

The zucchini maintains its structure and cooks without being mushy, while the filling is a soft. Tender baked vegetarian zucchini boats recipe with a delicious Italian stuffing. This simple vegetarian zucchini recipe makes a healthy side dish, or light meal. Our vegetarian stuffed zucchini boats make the perfect healthy weeknight dinner.

Italian stuffed zucchini boats step by step

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Measure out 1 cup of the marinara sauce and set aside..
2. Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the zucchini flesh (see recipe note), chop it and set it aside. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into a 13"x 9" baking dish and add about 1" of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just slightly fork-tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool slightly..
3. Add olive oil to a 12" skillet and place over MEDIUM heat. Add turkey (or beef), onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Continue to cook and stir until meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies have softened. Drain off as much grease as possible and return the skillet to the heat..
4. Add the chopped zucchini flesh, mushrooms, remaining marinara in jar (reserve 1 cup for later), parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes..
5. Remove partially cooked zucchini from baking dish and pour off water. Pour the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce into the empty baking dish and place zucchini boats on top of the sauce..
6. Divide the filling between the zucchini boats. If you have extra filling, spoon it into the dish around the zucchini boats. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, or until zucchini is fork tender. Remove dish from oven and set oven to BROIL..
7. Remove foil and sprinkle zucchini boats with mozzarella, Parmesan and the panko bread crumbs. Place dish in oven, watching closely, and cook for just a couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden brown..

They are easy to make and very versatile. Enjoy these vegetarian zucchini boats with your family or friends sometime, and I know you'll love them as much as we did. Serve Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats with basil garnish and side salad. Our Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a creative way to utilize some of those delicious veggies you have growing in your garden or picked up from the market! Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a seriously easy recipe for a weeknight- it's full of with delicious flavor without all the guilt!