Zucchini is an incredibly versatile fruit that masquerades as a vegetable. It’s a popular side dish or ingredient in my favorite bread. This Stuffed Zucchini recipe was an easy Keto dinner that can also be turned into a Vegetarian or Vegan dish with a few adjustments (noted in the ingredient section below). There was a lot of flavor packed into this low carbohydrate meal. It was satisfying, healthy and kid approved!

Stuffed Zucchini (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free or Keto)

Ingredients:

4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning

Salt and ground pepper to taste

1 pound Italian sausage (casings removed) or lean ground beef or ground turkey (your preference — you can also leave this ingredient out for a Vegetarian or Vegan recipe)

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes such as Muir Glen, S&W, Cento or Signature (these should be left out if you’re doing Keto because tomatoes are high in sugar content)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups homemade marinara or store bought such as Barilla, Prego, Cento or Classico

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or Violife Vegan Mozzarella Shreds

1 TBSP chopped Italian or curly leaf parsley

Cooking spray such as Pam Original Canola or Olive Oil Spray

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large lasagna pan or baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and trim off the stem ends. Use a spoon (I use my grapefruit spoon with ridges) to carefully scoop out the flesh of the zucchinis. Save the flesh that you scooped out.
  3. Season the zucchini with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the zucchini in the baking dish.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sausage or other meat choice to the pan and cook 5-6 minutes breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. (This step will be eliminated if you are making Vegetarian or Vegan.)
  5. Chop the remaining zucchini flesh that you scooped into small pieces. Then, add the onion, celery, carrots and remaining zucchini to the pan. Cook until the onion is translucent and vegetables tender about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Drain the grease from the pan.
  6. Add the marina sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer about 5 minutes. Season the mixture with a dash of salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared zucchini shells.
  8. Top the zucchini with the shredded cheese.
  9. Bake 25 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted and golden.
  10. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

I added Garlic Sautéed Spinach as a side dish to round out this healthy dinner!

Enjoy! XOXO Jill