This recipe features hollowed out zucchini halves stuffed with Italian beef mixture and lots of Mozzarella cheese on top. It’s a perfect summer dish that’s light but quite filling.
Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Beef Filling:
Dice onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Smash and mince garlic cloves.
Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add diced onion, carrot, and bell pepper. (You can also chop and add the zucchini flesh scooped out of zucchini halves.)
Saute the vegetables until softened and move them to the sides. Add ground beef to the center and break it up as much as you can. Season the beef with salt and red pepper flakes and cover the pan with the lid to let it cook. Stir and break down the beef as it cooks.
When beef is cooked through, pour in marinara sauce. (You can use homemade marinara or your favorite store-bought.)
Mix beef and marinara together and then mix in grated Parmesan cheese.
Take off heat and set aside.
Hollow out the zucchini:
Place zucchini in the cutting board and cut off most of the stem. Slice zucchini lengthwise to create two even halves. Try to make the halves as even as possible so cut right in the center.
Use a melon baller to scoop out just the seeded flesh in the center. (If you don’t have a melon baller, use a small spoon.)
Prepare zucchini boats:
Lay hollowed out zucchini halves side by side and season inside the boats with some salt.
Stuff them generously with beef filling.
Spread shredded Mozzarella cheese all over the stuffed zucchini boats and sprinkle some oregano and parsley over the cheese.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how soft you like the zucchini.