“Unstuffed” Zucchini

I love stuffed zucchini boats as they are so good and ever so attractive to serve!  But frankly, I don’t like all the fuss.  So unless I’m serving to company, I usually just make up my usual recipe like a casserole.  Tastes just the same and is so much easier!  The older I get, I look for EASY in my kitchen 🙂  This dish is Induction friendly.  Though it is higher in carbs than many of my recipes, when you see the nutrient percentages below, you’ll see it’s worth the carb price!  This is a very healthy recipe for your family!  🙂

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INGREDIENTS:

2 slices bacon

3 oz. onion, chopped

14 oz. zucchini, sliced about ¼-½” thick

1 can (14 oz) crushed or diced tomatoes, drained well

12 oz. ground beef (or lamb)

3 oz. green bell pepper, chopped

3 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

Pinch dried basil (or 1 T. fresh, chopped)

1 lg. clove garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  Coarsely chop bacon.  Over high heat, brown bacon in a non-stick skillet just until done, but not real crisp.  Add chopped onion and bell pepper and sauté until tender.  Add ground meat, breaking up with spoon as you sauté until meat is no longer pink.  Add tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and spices.  Stir well.   Lower heat to medium, cover and sauté (stirring every few minutes to submerge zucchini below juices) until zucchini is no longer opaque, but not fully cooked.  This will take about 10 minutes and you should have very little juice in the pan at this point.  Place half the mixture into a well-greased casserole dish.  Cover with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan.  Spoon the rest of the mixture on top.  Now add the rest of the Parmesan and finish off with the rest of the mozzarella.  Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes.  I serve this with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each containing:

391 calories

23 g  fat

14.8 g  carbs, 3.9 g fiber, 10.9 g NET CARBS

33 g  protein

763 mg sodium