This dish arrived out of my love of Italian food and my need to get creative on my diet. So on my quest to make healthier meatballs I perfected chicken meatballs that foot the bill.
Instead of spiralizing the zucchini I decided to just scoop out and seed the zuccini making nice zuccini boats if you will. I filled them generously with all the meatball components of the real thing, and baked them with some of my homemade marinara sauce and topped them with some Pecorino Romano cheese and this meal was born! I have to tell you, this is pretty damn good, and so comforting , to be honest I didn’t miss the pasta!
This is a whole lot of meal in one stuffed zucchini. If you are looking for a tasty Italian alternative to pasta and zoodles, give this one a try.
Sinfully,
Susan xoxo
Chicken Meatball Stuffed Zucchini
A healthy version of an Italian meatball that's quick, easy, and oh so satisfying!
- You can use ground turkey, or even lean ground beef for this recipe.
Credit: CrazySexySavor.com
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground chicken
- 2 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 slices of hard stale low cal wheat bread or reg. white bread if desired.
- 4 good size zucchini
- 1/4 grated Pecorino romano cheese plus more for topping zucchini with
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/4 appx. of fat-free milk or any type you prefer
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley
- 3 tsp. of tomato paste
- Kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste
- Homemade or jar marinara sauce, about 2 cups.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- In a small bowl add stale bread and enough milk to moisten bread, about 1/4 cup. Let soak about five minutes.
- Slice zucchini lengthwise, and scoop out the middle including seeds, begin from stem side and go down for extra support from breaking. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place to side.
- In large bowl, add ground chicken, garlic, egg, cheese, mix well, add in stale bread breaking up with fingers, add in parsley, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Line a 9×13 baking dish with a layer of marinara sauce, begin to fill each zucchini boat with a generous helping of the chicken mixture. Place in baking dish. Layer more sauce on top, sprinkle with more Pecorino Romano cheese, place foil over zucchini. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 5-10 min. for cheese to melt. Serve immediately. Mangia!
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Looks too tasty 🙂
Thank you!! 🙂