Zucchini is in full swing this time of year so I wanted to share a recipe that would show case zucchini and get us all super excited about eating it!
These turkey stuffed zucchini boats are perfect, right?
Not only do they use up a ton of zucchini but they are super family friendly (my kids love them), can be prepared ahead of time and make great leftovers. Whats not to get excited about?
The only catch with this recipe is that it does require a bit of preparation time, but I promise you they are super easy to make, they just ask for a bit of your effort and attention.
You can easily swap out the turkey for ground beef, bison, or chicken and if you prefer a vegetarian option, quinoa or lentils could make a great stuffing as well. So as always, make them work for you.
And most importantly, enjoy.
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini about 2 lbs.
- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup reserved zucchini meat from the center of zucchini
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 cup strained tomatoes
- 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and pre-heat oven to 350.
- Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and use a spoon (or melon baller) to scoop out the center, leaving about 1/4 inch zucchini shell all around (see video for demonstration). Be sure to save the zucchini you scooped out.
- Place zucchini in pot of boilingwater for one minute.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat before adding in ground turkey. Using a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into smaller pieces and cook until lightly browned.
- Add in garlic, onion, green peppers, zucchini meat, Italian seasoning, strained tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and all the flavors have come together.
- Place zucchini halves in a baking dish and fill each zucchini boat with about 1/2 cup filling. Top each turkey stuffed zucchini boat with 1 tbsp. shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and everything has heated through. Enjoy!