I saw this recipe for Turkey Stuffed Zucchini on the Skinny Taste website a while back, and have been wanting to try it out since then. Tonight was the night!
First, I sliced 2 large zucchini in half lengthwise, and then scooped out most of the innards (I hate the word “flesh” in reference to foods, so I choose “innards” instead 😉 ):
Then I chopped up the zucchini bits I had scooped out and set them aside.
Meanwhile I sprayed a pan with cooking spray, and once the pan was warm I added:
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 3 gloves garlic, minced
- 10 sprays parkay butter spray (yes, I actually counted them out 😉 )
When the onions were translucent, I added the chopped up zucchini bits, seasoned everything with some salt, and cooked about 3 more minutes.
Next, I added a splash of white wine . I’m not a white wine drinker, so I went with the only white I had on hand — charles shaw chardonnay — AKA two-buck-chuck 🙂
When the wine was mostly evaporated, I added:
- 1/2 a package (about 10 ounces) of 99% fat free ground turkey breast
- a healthy sprinklin of Red Pepper Flake & S
- a light sprinklin of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, paprika, and marjoram
After the turkey was cooked through, I put the mixture into a bowl and added:
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 egg white
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
- 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
The rosemary and basil were from my backyard garden 😀
I don’t know why it makes me so happy when I use fresh herbs from my garden… It’s not like I put any effort into their growth and prosperity.. other than dropping them in the dirt, I just leave them to flourish on their own 🙂
I stuffed the zucchini halves with the turkey mix, then sprinkled with 2 tbsp Progreso Plain bread crumbs. Put everything onto a cookie sheet that I sprayed with cooking spray:
Next, I carefully poured 1/2 a cup of free range chicken stock into the pan and covered tightly with foil. These baked at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Then I removed the foil and cooked for an additional 5 minutes.
These were yummy! Next time, I think I’ll cook up some spicy red sauce to go on top of the zucchinis. Also, I like my veggies on the crunchy side, so I will use less chicken stock in the pan and probably cook them less time. Definitely gonna make these again and tweak things up a bit.
On the side, we had a salad consisting of romaine lettuce, red onion, green pepper, and a couple generous handfuls of cherry tomatoes that I also grew in my backyard garden 😀
I had some Ken’s Steakhouse dressing on top, of course. Ken’s my homeboy 🙂
Stats on 2 stuffed zucchini halves: 286 calories, 24g carbs, 4g fat, 39g protein, 4g fiber