Ground beef zucchini boats
55 min · 40 g protein · 368 cals / serving
Zucchini halves hollowed out and filled like a little lasagna: a creamy layer of cottage cheese, parmesan and basil, an oregano-heavy beef and tomato sauce on top, and mozzarella baked until it bubbles and browns. The zucchini turns tender enough to cut with a fork.
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- a pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Cheese layer
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese (1%)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- a handful of leaves fresh basil, chopped
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Scoop the seeds and some flesh out of each zucchini half with a teaspoon, leaving a 1/2 inch wall. Chop the scooped flesh. Lay the halves cut side up in a baking dish and sprinkle with a little of the salt.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onion 3–4 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, the chopped zucchini flesh and the beef, and cook, breaking the beef up, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F, 6–8 minutes.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, pepper and the rest of the salt. Simmer 5 minutes, until thick enough to mound on a spoon.
- Stir the cottage cheese, parmesan and chopped basil together and spoon it along the bottom of each zucchini boat. Pile the meat sauce on top.
- Scatter over the mozzarella, cover the dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10–15 minutes more, until the zucchini is tender when pierced and the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots.
Good to know
Will the cottage cheese stay lumpy?
It melts into a soft, ricotta-like layer under the hot sauce. If you prefer it completely smooth, blend it with the parmesan for a few seconds first.
My boats were watery. Why?
Large, older zucchini hold more water. Bake the empty salted halves for 10 minutes first and pour off any liquid before filling, and simmer the sauce until it is properly thick.
Can I use ground turkey?
Yes. Lean ground turkey works the same way, at about 69 instead of 72; add an extra pinch of oregano and salt, since it tastes milder than beef.
Per
- Calories
- 87
- Protein
- (45%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (36%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (19%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 234 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1471 kcal goes into the pot and 2107 g of ingredients comes out as about 1700 g of food: 87 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.