You probably already know what a great vegetable zucchini is when it comes to preparing low-carb dishes. But did you know it tastes even better when it’s stuffed with the perfect comfort food ingredients, like hearty meatballs, tangy marinara sauce, and melted cheese? What more could you possibly ask for?!
You’ll Need:
For the zucchini boats:
- 3 zucchini
- salt, pepper & oregano to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef
- salt
- 1 egg
- zucchini pulp
- 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- olive oil to fry
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 mozzarella ball, grated (or 1 cup shredded mozzarella)
Extra:
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- parsley
Here’s How:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F, cut the zucchini in half, hollow out the insides, and set the pulp aside for later.
2. Place the zucchini boats in a casserole dish, drizzle olive oil on top, season with salt, pepper, and oregano, and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Chop the zucchini pulp, garlic, and parsley and add it to the ground beef, together with the egg. Season with salt and knead until everything is mixed together.
4. Form meatballs from the ground beef mixture and fry them in hot olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
5. Once the meatballs have cooked through, stir in the marinara sauce and let simmer for a few minutes.
6. Fill the zucchini boats with meatballs.
7. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the zucchini boats and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes, and parsley before serving.
The smell of this dish alone will bring your family running to the dinner table. Who ever said low-carb healthy food had to be bland and boring? Not us! You can find the recipe for the Hearty Zucchini & Rice Ring featured in the bonus video here.