As the seasons change, all our wonderful vegetable gardens are coming to an end. When Kevin was growing up, his father was rather famous for his vegetable garden. He had a nice variety of the usual suspects like zucchini, squash, cucumbers, eggplant and of course, the mighty tomato. When it came time to harvest, he would pick ninety percent of the vegetables always leaving behind one or two of each kind. We always wondered why he did this, and as the years went by we figured out he was really a mad scientist on a quest to see how large he could grow the darn things. Sure enough a few weeks later there were enormous eggplants, crazy big cucumbers and Godzilla size zucchinis straight out of some sci-fi movie. Not knowing what to do with this madness, he resorted to giving them away – and everyone was fair game. Friends, neighbors, relatives and yes, even the mailman fell victim to the crazy Big Vegetable Give-Away.

We share this because we were recently on the receiving end of a three-pound zucchini from one of our neighbors’. This recipe is for all those who find themselves the proud owner of an abnormally sized vegetable! Keeping true to form to Kevin’s Healthy Kitchen, these zucchini boats are not only healthy for you, but easy to make and taste great.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

3 Lb. zucchini (squash works well here too)

1 table spoon canola oil

1/3 cup Onion, minced

3 hot Turkey sausages, casing removed

1 – 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 cup fat free croutons, ground

1/3 cup Basil, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black pepper

2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, reduced fat

1. Perheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the vine end of the zucchini.
3. Using a sharp knife, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise.
4. Scoop out the soft flesh along with the seeds from the center and discard.
5. Scoop out about 1/8 of the firm flesh widening the cavity forming a canoe shape.
6. Reserve the zucchini flesh, chop and place in a large mixing bowl.
7. Using a fry pan add oil, onion and sausage.
8. Cook the sausage through braking up the sausage into crumbles as you go.
9. Using a pasta strainer rinse the cooked ingredients with cold water removing any extra unwanted calories.
10. Add this to the mixing bowl with the chopped zucchini.
11. Add the remaining ingredients except the parmesan cheese and combine.
12. Place the zucchini halves cavity side up in a large casserole dish.
13. Spooning stuffing mixture evenly into each zucchini boat.
14. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
15. Uncover and bake for another twenty minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown.
16. Use a serrated knife and cut into 1-inch portions.
17. Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!