Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini

 

A little while ago Sue and I made Zucchini Lasagna that turned out soooo good I figured I would make it again. The only problem this time was that I had monster zucchinis instead of normal ones.

By monster size I mean they were over a foot long and I needed to use 2 hands to pick one up. I didn't want to try and slice them into the "noodles"  to make the lasagna.

Instead, I decided to stuff the monsters with the lasagna filling and save myself some steps.

Turns out this was a pretty brilliant idea (if I do say so myself). It was so easy and tasted fantastic.

Okay, it is way less lasagna-y then the Zucchini Lasagna but for the amount of effort it required it was perfect. I used lean ground beef but you could use ground turkey or chicken as well.

 

 

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini

 

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

salt & pepper

garlic salt

1 monster zucchini (about 13 - 14 inches long)

3/4 cup spaghetti sauce, divided

1 cup cottage cheese 1%

1 egg

1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded & divided

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook beef, onions, garlic, salt & pepper, and garlic salt until beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and a bit of the zucchini "meat" to make a hollow to put the filling. Place on a cookie tray or in a pan with sides.

 

 

Spread 1/4 cup of the spaghetti sauce between the 2 halves.

 

 

Spread 1/2 of the ground beef between the two halves.

 

 

Mix the cottage cheese, egg, mozza cheese, and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese together in a bowl. Spread evenly in the two halves.

 

 

Top with remaining meat.

 

 

Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce.

 

 

Take a moment to admire how pretty it looks.

 

 

Oooooooooooooh!

Now bake at 350 for about one hour. Zucchini should be fork tender when it is done. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Place back in oven and bake another 5 minutes or so, until cheese is all melty.

 

 

There it is. You can have 1/6 of the recipe (a third of a half - holy, way to do math!) for 264 calories, 13.3 fat, 17.1 carbs, and 20 protein.

Have you decided to make this yet?

Maybe a close up would help?

 

 

Mmmm...mmmm.....good. 1/6th of this recipe is VERY filling.

We had 1/2 of this for dinner one night then wrapped the other half up, stored it in the fridge, and had it for lunch 2 days later.

If you don't have monster sized zucchinis then the filling of this recipe could probably stuff 2 large zucchinis. 

I'm pretty sure this would freeze beautifully too. Next time I make it I will try that with the leftovers.

HA...leftovers....right....

 

For links to fun food and crafts, check out The Mandatory Mooch and A Humble Bumble!