Italian night doesn’t have to be a distant memory when maintaining a healthy diet. Our simple recipe for Zesty Italian Zucchini Boats is perfect for a low-carb meal that’s just as tasty as your favorite pasta dish.
Zesty Italian Zucchini boats are topped with melty mozzarella cheese and baked to crispy perfection. Seasoned with fresh basil, garlic and black pepper, this easy recipe brings the health and flavor factor for a low-carb dinner that’s so yummy, you’ll want to make it over and over again.
- 1 Healthy Fat
- 1 Protein
- 1.5 Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 1 cup or 4 oz. zucchini (equivalent to ½ large zucchini scooped out or 1 small zucchini scooped out)
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onions, minced
- ½ Tbsp. avocado oil
- 3 oz. ground beef, 80/20
- ¼ cup tomato sauce (less than 3 gm sugar per serving)
- 2 Tbsp. mozzarella cheese, part-skim, shredded
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. basil
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is preheating, clean and dry zucchini.
- Cut off zucchini top and slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a metal spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of the zucchini. Make sure to leave about ¼-inch of zucchini around the edges to create a boat. Lightly brush both sides of the zucchini with ½ of the avocado oil and place it (skin side down) in a baking or casserole dish. Set this aside.
- In a nonstick skillet, heat the remaining avocado oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic powder, cooking until they become slightly brown and fragrant (about 2 to 3 minutes). Next, add the ground beef to the pan, constantly mashing it into small pieces until browned. Turn the heat off and stir in the tomato sauce and black pepper.
- Spoon the beef mixture into the zucchini boat. Top it with shredded mozzarella cheese, cover the baking dish with foil and bake it for about 25 to 35 minutes, until the zucchini is softened and the cheese is melted and bubbly. *Note: Cook time will vary depending on the size of the zucchini.
- Remove the zucchini boat from the oven and top it with fresh basil.
