Zucchini Boats

#main #zucchini #meat #vegan

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Zucchini

3 large zucchini 

1 tablespoons olive oil 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Vegan Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, large grate

1 celery stalk, chopped

Slice of red bell pepper, small chop

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup broth

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup fresh coarse breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 

Meat filling

Add to vegan filling: 1 pound ground beef, turkey or a combination

 

1 1/2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce, homemade or commercially made

 

Zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 13” X 9” rimmed baking dish with parchment paper or lightly oil. Set aside.

2. Cut ends from zucchini and cut in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape seeds from each half, creating a shallow trench. Do not remove too much from zucchini in order to keep the zucchini strong enough for the filling.

3. Place each zucchini on the parchment baking sheet. Brush each half on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Place zucchini cut side down. Roast for 10-12 minutes until softened but not overly soft. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F.

5. Filling

6. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, reduce heat to medium . Add carrot, celery and bell pepper and cook 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.

7. For meat filling:

8. Add ground beef and cook about 5 minutes until browned, breaking meat apart.

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