Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

These stuffed zucchini boats were DELICOUS! The leftovers are great too!

Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats 
Serves: 5 (2 zucchini halves each)

5 medium zucchini (make sure they are uniform in size)
24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey (I used 1/2 lb. of each)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. Panko bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Measure out 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce and set aside.
2. Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the zucchini flesh, chop it and set aside. Place the scraped out zucchini boats into a 13x9 baking dish and add 1 inch of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
3. While zucchini is baking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meat, onion, bell pepper and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring to break up the meat. Continue to cook and break up meat until the meat is cooked through. Drain any grease.
4. Add the chopped zucchini, mushrooms and remaining spaghetti sauce (reserving 1 cup for later), parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the partially cooked zucchini from the baking dish and drain the water. Pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce into the dish and place zucchini boats on top.
6. Divide the filling between the boats. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the dish and set the oven to broil.
7. Remove foil and sprinkle zucchini boats with both cheese and the Panko. Broil uncovered for a couple of minutes, until cheese is melted and Panko is golden brown.

Portion Fix containers: 1 red, 2 green, 1 blue, 1 tsp.

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Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meat Sauce

I LOVE this recipe! The sauce is delicious and can be used on regular pasta for your kids while you enjoy it on spaghetti squash "noodles" for a lower-carb dinner.

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meat Sauce

Servings: 5

1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise

1 tsp. Himalayan salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1 cup white mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

1 lb. lean ground turkey

3 tbsp. tomato paste

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 50-60 minutes until squash is tender. Use a fork to separate out the spaghetti squash "noodles" and place into a bowl.

2. While the squash is baking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and mushrooms until tender. Add the turkey and cook until all the pink is gone.

3. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes while sauce thickens. 

4. Serve 1 cup of spaghetti squash and 1 cup of the meat sauce per serving. Top with Parmesan cheese.

If you are following the Portion Fix nutrition plan each serving is 1.5 green, 0.5 purple, 1 red, 0.5 blue

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