RICOTTA STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Boats image

Squash stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach. I prefer a bit more garlic, and this can also be done on a grill by simply wrapping in foil.

Provided by Whitney

Categories Side Dish Vegetables Squash Zucchini

Time 50m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

8 zucchini, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
ground black pepper to taste
1 (24 ounce) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Trim ends of zucchini halves, and scoop out seeds and pulp, leaving about 1/2 inch pulp on skins. In a large saucepan, steam zucchini halves in a vegetable steamer over boiling water for about 5 minutes, until tender but firm. Drain, and immediately plunge into a large bowl filled with enough ice water to cover. Allow to cool completely; drain.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onion and garlic until onion is soft. Stir in spinach, and cook about 1 minute, until wilted.
Transfer spinach mixture to a medium bowl, and mix in ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, basil, oregano and pepper. Stuff zucchini halves with even amounts of the mixture, and arrange in a large baking dish. Drizzle with remaining butter.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the stuffing is hot and bubbly. Heat tomato sauce in a small saucepan, and spoon over the zucchini half way through baking.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 248.6 calories, Carbohydrate 23 g, Cholesterol 75.7 mg, Fat 12.1 g, Fiber 5.8 g, Protein 14.3 g, SaturatedFat 6.1 g, Sodium 669.9 mg, Sugar 11.6 g