Summer Zucchini Boats

“People who love to eat are always the best people” – Julia Child

I’ve always loved food.  Not in a “I can’t get enough” kind of way, but in a “visit those special restaurants and taste those flavor combinations” kind of way.  This recipe was inspired by a dear friend and has tons of developed flavors.  Since I get frustrated when I’m cooking and I have to keep scrolling to the bottom,  I’m putting the recipe on top with the step-by-step down below. (Side note: does anyone else bust into the ‘Step by Step’ theme song when they read or write that?)

Print Recipe

Summer Zucchini Boats

A different but flavorful way to use that home garden or CSA Zucchini

Course

Main Dish

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

20-30 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 Spring Onion chopped if not available use 2 shallots
• 3 Cloves garlic minced
• 1 T Duck Fat or coconut oil
• 1 lb Ground Beef Grass Fed preferred
• 4 Strips of Bacon - roughly chopped
• 2 Large Handfuls of Greens I used a hefty spring mix but you can use spinach or heartier green like kale or collard greens, you just need to sauté a little longer
• 1 cup Shredded Parmesan cheese plus a little extra for topping Remove the cheese to make this recipe Whole30 and Paleo approved. It's a good addition, but you won't miss it!
• 1 T Fresh Lemon Thyme Spice If you don't grow or can't find feel free to replace with 1 T (fresh) lemon Juice and 1 T (fresh) Thyme
• 1 Large Zucchini or 2 medium sized
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Course Main Dish Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 20-30 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 Spring Onion chopped if not available use 2 shallots 3 Cloves garlic minced 1 T Duck Fat or coconut oil 1 lb Ground Beef Grass Fed preferred 4 Strips of Bacon - roughly chopped 2 Large Handfuls of Greens I used a hefty spring mix but you can use spinach or heartier green like kale or collard greens, you just need to sauté a little longer 1 cup Shredded Parmesan cheese plus a little extra for topping Remove the cheese to make this recipe Whole30 and Paleo approved. It's a good addition, but you won't miss it! 1 T Fresh Lemon Thyme Spice If you don't grow or can't find feel free to replace with 1 T (fresh) lemon Juice and 1 T (fresh) Thyme 1 Large Zucchini or 2 medium sized Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat 1 T of duck fat or your preferred cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
3. Brown the Beef and Bacon, then set aside.
4. While the beef is cooking cut the zucchini in half 'long ways' and scoop out the seeds.
5. Sauté the onions or shallots until clear.
6. Add the Garlic and Lemon Thyme.
7. Mix in the greens and cook until just wilted.
8. Add the beef and bacon back in.
9. (Optional) Mix in 1 cup of Parmesan Cheese until melted.
10. Salt and Pepper to Taste.
11. Place the Zucchini in a 9x13 pan (or whatever fits) and fill them with the sauté mixture.
12. (Optional) Top with Parmesan cheese.
13. Cook in the preheated oven 20-30 minutes until the zucchini is fork tender.

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So here’s the step by step!  I love zucchini and I would honestly eat it plain grilled or sautéed with some EVOO daily (or raw like in one of my all time not paleo but real fresh food favorite recipes Zucchini, Feta, Corn Salad).  My husband gets a little sick of it so I have to get creative.

First I melted some Duck Fat in a 12″ pan while the oven preheats to 375.  Any high quality cooking fat will do and I tend to use whatever I have on hand and EPIC makes great products.  then I put in the ground beef and chopped bacon.  I tend to get lazy and try to put everything in at once, but putting this in first makes a great base of different flavors to cooking the veggies in and the onions won’t get caramelized if you don’t do them by themselves.

While the meat was browning, I scooped out my boats.

Then I removed the meat leaving the fats and added the onions, cooking them until clear to slightly golden brown.  Then I threw in the spices.  (Whenever I cook onion and garlic I get the joyous praise of “that smells good honey” despite nothing else ready to eat).

Then come the greens!  I got to “pick your own” bag of lettuce greens at my CSA, so that is what I used.  Any greens will do!  Sauté until just wilted.

Then I added the meat back in and added cheese (but really not necessary for those true “Paleo” and Whole30 folks), salt and pepper.  It doesn’t need it, but I don’t have issues with high quality dairy so I use cheese when I’m craving it.

Then fill those boats and sprinkle with cheese (optional).

Cook for 20-30 minutes based on how large your zucchini are.  I like mine still a little crunchy, but you can cook them pretty soft too.

If you are not adding cheese and want this meal done more quickly, you can oil and season the zucchini and place it in the oven (375 for 15 minutes prior to filling then just turn up the temperature up while you fill and put it back in just to get a little crust on top 450 for 5-10 minutes).

That’s it!  Recipes always seem more complicated when I write them out but this is such an easy one to adapt based on what you have in the house.  Even munchkin gobbled this one up!

Until Next Time!

Beth

*Note: I do use affiliate product links to help pay for this blog.  All links I specifically use and enjoy and do not get extra funds to sponsor those specific products.  Links for other sites are not subsidized, I’m just sharing the knowledge of what I learned from them!