Healthy Summer Recipe: Zucchini Boats

Summer is a great season for eating healthy and embracing local produce. At the top of the list for summer bounty is always zucchini, prized for its adaptive flavor and health benefits.

Zucchini offers your nutrition an immediate boost of vitamins and minerals and is a great choice for weight loss diets. In addition to promoting eye health, the humble zucchini is rich in Vitamin A and C and is an excellent source of fiber, potassium, and folate.

So give your diet a fresh take with an option fresh from the garden and whip up zucchini boats for supper tonight. This easy dish has several basic steps: hollowing out zucchini, cooking a protein, assembling with or without a carb such as rice, bread crumbs, or quinoa. You can mix up ingredients for a Mexican or Italian influence or simply combine other leftover veggies and chopped meat with a simple tomato sauce to create your own dinner special.

Zucchini Boats

Original recipe here.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium zucchini
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ lbs sliced mushrooms
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; cut a thin slice from the bottom of each with a sharp knife to allow zucchini to sit flat.
• Scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4-inch shells. Set pulp aside.
• Place shells in an ungreased 3-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook ground turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl mix together zucchini pulp, beaten egg, spaghetti sauce, bread crumbs, mushrooms, tomato, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, and cooked ground turkey.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup mixture into each shell.
• Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350º F or until brown.

For nutritional analysis and other great bariatric recipes try here.

Also check out Zucchini Boat Tacos from Persnickety Plates!