Italian Zucchini Boats.

We recently visited my mom while our house was on the market (remember my trolls?), and she made these yummy zucchini boats for dinner! If you haven’t made Nana’s Spaghetti Sauce yet, you need to make a batch. I love having a couple of containers of it in the freezer, and zucchini boats are a fun alternative to eating the sauce over pasta, and perfect for a lighter meal!

I know “zoodles” are a thing now and that people are spiralizing all kinds of veggies. I really like the simplicity of these boats, though (no special tools required), and the flavor you get from roasting the zucchini is a definite bonus! If you’re using leftover sauce, this is a one-pan meal and I’m all about that.

So: slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Rub the oil onto both sides of the zucchini and give them a good sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper.

Flip the zucchini boats cut-side down and roast on the bottom rack of the oven until they’re lightly browned and starting to get tender (10-15 minutes).

Turn them over and pile on some meaty spaghetti sauce and then parmesan cheese.

Pop the zucchini boats back into the oven on the top rack to finish cooking the zucchini and melt and brown the cheese!

I love that the roasted zucchini is tender without being mushy, and Nana’s spaghetti sauce is thick and meaty so it stays in place on top of the sliced zucchini (and you can heap it up for a hearty portion). If you’re looking for a delicious low-carb meal, or just something light and summery, give zucchini boats a try! (And since you’re not having pasta…and you have the oven on anyway…a loaf or two of no-knead bread might be the perfect addition!)

Italian Zucchini Boats.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 boats (serves 2-3)

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Ingredients

• 3-4 medium zucchinis, sliced in half lengthwise
• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2-3 cups of Nana’s Spaghetti Sauce (I love to use leftovers from my freezer for this!)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sliced zucchini onto the parchment and drizzle them with olive oil. Rub the oil onto both sides of the zucchini and sprinkle them with kosher salt and pepper. Arrange the zucchini cut-side down on the parchment and put the pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Roast for 10-15 minutes until the zucchini is lightly browned and getting tender.
2. Turn the zucchini cut-side up and heap on the sauce. Sprinkle each with parmesan cheese and return to the top rack of the oven for about 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned.

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Notes

This recipe is from my mom, and inspired by The Ultimate Stuffed Zucchini from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe