Healthy Lasagna Zucchini Boats
Lasagna Zucchini Boats with ground beef are a low-carb version of the traditional pasta dish made with hollowed-out zucchini instead of lasagna noodles. While this recipe may be healthy, it's also delicious!
$14.19 per recipe / $1.77 a serving
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, or ground turkey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 ounces canned tomato paste
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 4 medium zucchini
- 12 ounces cottage cheese
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add ground beef and garlic to a large skillet or pan. Brown ground beef and garlic over medium-high heat. Drain off excess oil.
- Once the ground beef is cooked, add tomato paste, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano to the pan and stir to combine.
- Cover the pan and simmer.
- While the sauce is simmering, slice the ends off the zucchini and then slice each in half from top to bottom. Scoop the centers from zucchini while leaving a 1/4-inch rim to create boats.
- Place the zucchini in a large 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each boat with an equal amount of cottage cheese.
- Carefully pour the meat sauce over the zucchini. Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven. Remove the foil and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
- Return the dish to oven uncovered and bake until cheese has melted and zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.
Video
EQUIPMENT
Notes
You can substitute ground turkey for ground beef in this recipe. It's just as yummy and cuts out even more calories and fat.
If you'd like to utilize the pulp from the zucchini, you can add that to your meat sauce as it cooks. Just cut and scrape the zucchini before you start the sauce. This may make your sauce a little watery so you can add all of the pulp to a bowl and press on it a few times with a paper towel to remove the extra moisture.
Zucchini is full of water. That combined with the liquid in the meat sauce can make for a watery dish.
You can salt your zucchini boats and let them sit for 15 minutes to draw out the excess water. Before you start the meat sauce, you can do this step so they can sit while the sauce simmers. After 15 minutes, blot the zucchini with a paper towel.
Another option is to place your zucchini on a baking rack while they cook so the water drips underneath. Use a short rack like a cookie cooling rack and place it in the baking dish or on a large pan. Then place the zucchini boats on top and carefully cover with the sauce. Bake following the recipe directions.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 870mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 770IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 3mg
Love this recipe? Share it on Social!Mention @ashcroftfamilytable or tag #ashcroftfamilytable!