Fruits and Vegetables Recipe – Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef

These zucchini boats with ground beef are a delicious, refreshing dish--good served on a bed of rice or with garlic toast and salad.

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, grated
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (3.5 fluid ounce) wine glass red wine
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup beef stock
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with foil.
2. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Chop and reserve about 3/4 of the seeds for the stuffing.
3. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add zucchini boats and cook uncovered for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef; cook and stir until browned and broken into very small pieces, 5 to 7 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir some more. Quickly add reserved chopped zucchini pulp, onion, and carrot; continue to cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in red wine and Worcestershire and allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef stock and cook for 3 minutes more. Simmer until mixture reduces, about 10 minutes.
5. Place zucchini boats in the foil-lined dish and divide meat mixture evenly between them. Sprinkle each with mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

• calories383.5
• carbohydrateContent12.4 g
• cholesterolContent79 mg
• fatContent23.6 g
• fiberContent2.8 g
• proteinContent25.8 g
• saturatedFatContent8.3 g
• sodiumContent293.6 mg
• sugarContent5.5 g