Stuffed Zuchinni Boats

 Another summer favorite around here is Stuffed Zucchini Boats!  Listen up you Gluten-Free eaters, this one can be for you too!  

Have you found yourself with a plethora of zucchini this summer?  If you don't have a garden maybe you are getting some from your friend. Or maybe you simply buy them at the gardener's market or grocery store. Zucchini is a summer favorite at our house, and I'm always on the hunt for new ways to serve it.  

We usually use zucchini in my recipe for zucchini saute or zucchini brownies, or zucchini bread, or zucchini patties. But now we have yet another tried-and-true way to serve this.  I might post another recipe for zucchini boats too, because we like them a few different ways. 

This recipe called for ground turkey, which I really liked.  I loved the herb combination of basil and rosemary and the wonderful flavor of fresh Parmesan cheese!  


Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Printable Version
Ingredients:
1 zucchini, about a foot long (or you can use 2 about half that size
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
½ cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 1 heaping teaspoon dried basil)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving an outer shell about ¼-inch thick.  Reserve about half of the insides and set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until tender and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the reserved zucchini insides to the skillet and sauté another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Crumble in the ground turkey and cook until thoroughly cooked, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the cooked onion and zucchini insides mixture.  Add the chicken broth  to the pan along with the tomatoes, basil and rosemary.  Cook for 1 more minute.  Drain off any excess fat and water (from cooking), remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Once the turkey mixture has cooled a bit, mix in the Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper.  Fill the zucchini shells with the mixture.  Fill a 9x13 baking dish with about  ¼-inch of water.  Place the filled zucchini shells in the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove the zucchini from the pan and serve immediately.

*If you have extra mixture that won’t fit in your shells, either use more zucchini or grease a small custard dish and bake it along with the zucchini boats.

Recipe Source: adapted from Annie's Eats.