Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
40 mins
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Total Time
50 mins
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Servings
8 Zucchini boats
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Description
This recipe starts by preparing medium-sized zucchinis sliced lengthwise with centers scooped to create boats. A creamy cheese filling combines ricotta, egg, parsley, mozzarella, and Parmesan, seasoned with salt and pepper. Ground beef is browned, drained of excess fat, then simmered briefly with marinara sauce and basil for flavor.
The boats are lightly brushed with olive oil then filled first with the cheese mixture, followed by the seasoned meat sauce, and topped with remaining mozzarella. Baking at 400°F until zucchinis are tender and cheese is melted creates a satisfying meld of textures: tender zucchini shells with rich, creamy, and meaty filling.
Choosing wider zucchinis allows for more filling and easier handling. The dish serves well as a lower-carb lasagna alternative, offering a balanced combination of vegetables, protein, and cheese suitable for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini 2 1/2 lbs), sliced into halves through the length, medium
- 1 cup (8.6 oz) ricotta cheese part-skim
- 1 egg large
- 1 1/2 Tbsp parsley plus more for garnish, chopped, fresh
- 1 1/4 cups (5 oz) mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup (1.5 oz) Parmesan Cheese finely shredded
- 8 oz ground beef 90% lean or lean ground turkey
- 4 tsp olive oil divided
- salt freshly ground
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 3/4 cup marinara sauce such as Classico, roasted garlic
- 1 Tbsp basil plus more for garnish, chopped, fresh
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a spoon, scoop centers from zucchini while leaving a 1/4-inch rim to create boats. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl stir together ricotta cheese, egg and 1 1/2 Tbsp of the parsley. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tsp of the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Crumble beef into pan, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up beef when stirring, until browned (there shouldn't be any excess fat but if you happened to use a fattier beef then just drain excess rendered fat).
- Stir in marinara sauce and 1 Tbsp of the basil, remove from heat.
- To assemble boats, brush both sides of of zucchini lightly with remaining 2 tsp olive oil and place in two baking pans (I used a 13 by 9 and a 9 by 9). Divide cheese mixture among zucchini spooning about 2 1/2 Tbsp into each, then spread cheese mixture into and even layer.
- Divide sauce among zucchini adding a few heaping spoonfuls to each. Cover baking dishes with foil and place in oven side by side and bake in preheated oven 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle tops with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella, return to oven and bake until cheese has melted and zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle tops with with fresh basil and parsley and serve warm.
Notes
- Select zucchinis that are wider and fairly uniform in width to hold more filling and ease assembly.
- This recipe is adapted from Cooking Classy.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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