Italian Lovers Zucchini Boats

Recipe posted in: Flex Meals & Snacks, Lunches & Dinners, Main Courses
Italian lovers

Pizza lover? Pasta enthusiast? If Italian food is your guilty pleasure, then you’re going to want to bookmark this recipe! Our simple Italian Lovers Zucchini Boats are easy-to-make, diet-approved and absolutely delicious.

Cut two large zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Sauté Italian chicken sausage and bell peppers on medium-high until both sausage and peppers are cooked through. Be sure to break up the sausage as it cooks! In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, minced garlic and dried oregano. Place zucchini boats in a baking dish and top each with about two Tablespoons of the ricotta mixture, equal portions of the sausage sauté and about one Tablespoon of marinara sauce. Bake zucchini boats for about 25 minutes and sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.

This hearty, Italian Lovers meal will fill you up the healthy way. Packed with protein, healthy fats and fiber, these zucchini boats are certain to become a go-to on your flex menu. This recipe makes four servings, and each serving counts as one PowerFuel, one Extra and one Vegetable. Clocking in at just 129 calories for each zucchini boat, this Italian-inspired meal is a dieter’s dream.

If Italian food is a must-have on your flex menu, we’ve got your covered with plenty of healthy recipes you can enjoy while dieting:

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Servings: 4 (half zucchini = 1 serving)

Calories per Serving: 129

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 PowerFuel, 1 Extra and 1 Vegetable

Ingredients:

  • 2 large zucchini
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces Italian chicken sausage (about 2 links), casing removed
  • ½ red bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ green bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup fat free ricotta cheese
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • ¼ cup marinara sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Set aside.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Mist with nonstick cooking spray. Add sausage and bell peppers to pan. Sauté until sausage is fully cooked and peppers are softened. Use spatula to break up sausage as it cooks.
  3. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Cut a thin slice off the bottoms so each half sits flat. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a ¼-inch shell. Discard the inner pulp. Place in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, minced garlic and dried oregano.
  5. Spread about 2 Tbsp. of the ricotta mixture in each zucchini half. Top with equal portions of the sausage mixture and 1 Tbsp. of marinara sauce.
  6. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.
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