How to Make Spaghetti, Meat and Cheese Zucchini Boats

Zucchini boats, the name sounds fun! No, they don't float but they are sure delightfully delicious! Just one more thing to add to your list of things to do with bountiful crop of zucchini. The extra large ones are fantastic for this recipe.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Zucchini (large)
• Spaghetti
• Ground meat
• Spaghetti sauce
• Shredded cheese
• Mushrooms
• Parmesan cheese
• Knife
• Cookie sheet
• Sauce pan
• Frying pan (skillet)
• Butter flavored non-stick cooking spray
• Garlic powder
• Can opener

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. 
   Sauce pan and water

   Place a sauce pan, filled ¾ full of water, on a burner.

3. Turn the burner on to high.

4. 
   Large zucchini

   Select a large zucchini.

5. Clean and wash the zucchini thoroughly.

6. 
   Cut the ends off

   Cut both ends off of the zucchini.

7. 
   Halve

   Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.

8. 
   Score

   Score along the area where the seeds and the flesh meet.

9. 
   Spoon out

   Spoon the seeds out. This will leave a hollow area in the zucchini halves.

10. 
    Put halves on cookie sheet

    Place the halves on a cookie sheet, hollow side up.

11. 
    Spray

    Spray the halves with butter flavored non-stick cooking spray.

12. 
    Shake on garlic powder

    Sprinkle with garlic powder.

13. Place the cookie sheet in the oven.

14. Bake until zucchini is tender. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

15. 
    Rolling boil

    About the time you put the zucchini in the oven the water in the sauce pan should be coming to a rolling boil. Hopefully this should be just after the cookie sheet is put into the oven. All stoves are a little different so the timing can vary somewhat. The goal is to cook the spaghetti while the zucchini halves are baking.

16. 
    Break spaghetti

    Break the long spaghetti into thirds and put it into the boiling water.

17. 
    Skillet

    Place a frying pan on a burner.

18. Turn the burner on to medium low heat.

19. 
    Sausage

    Put one pound of ground meat into the frying pan. This time sausage was used but feel free to use any ground meat such as hamburger or ground turkey. Once again the goal is to cook the meat while the zucchini halves are baking and have it all finished cooking at about the same time.

20. 
    Chomp up the meat

    Chop the ground meat with the spatula.

21. Alternate stirring the spaghetti and turning, flipping and stirring the sausage.

22. 
    Tender spaghetti

    When the spaghetti is tender, turn the burner under it off.

23. 
    Drain

    Drain the spaghetti into a strainer.

24. Wash the spaghetti under running water.

25. 
    Sit and drain

    Allow the spaghetti to sit in the strainer and drain.

26. 
    This meat is cooked

    When the meat is thoroughly browned, turn the burner under it off.

27. 
    Put meat on paper towels

    Spoon the meat onto a small stack of paper towels. This allows the towels to soak the excess grease from the meat. I use about 3 to 4 layers of towels for this process.

28. Set the meat aside.

29. Remove the zucchini from the oven when it is tender.

30. 
    Spaghetti

    Pour the spaghetti back into the sauce pan.

31. Open a 26 once can of spaghetti sauce. Use your favorite brand and flavor. I prefer the four cheese flavor.

32. 
    Pour on the sauce

    Dump the spaghetti sauce onto the spaghetti.

33. 
    Mix well

    Mix the spaghetti and sauce thoroughly.

34. 
    Pour meat

    Spoon the meat into the spaghetti.

35. 
    Blend in the meat

    Stir well.

36. 
    Parmesan cheese

    Pour about ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese onto the spaghetti.

37. 
    Stir up

    Mix until well blended.

38. Open one small can of mushrooms.

39. 
    Drain mushrooms

    Drain the mushrooms in a colander

40. 
    Pour mushrooms

    Add the mushrooms to the spaghetti.

41. 
    Mix it up!

    Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed.

42. 
    Spoon it in

    Spoon a generous amount of spaghetti into the hollowed out halves of zucchini.

43. 
    Sprinkle on the cheese

    Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded cheese on top.

44. 
    Pop into oven

    Pop into the oven for approximately 20 minutes.

45. 
    Pull from oven.

    When the cheese is golden brown, remove from oven.

46. 
    Cool

    Allow to sit and cool for about five minutes.

47. 
    Cut

    Cut into serving sized portions.

48. 
    Put on a dish

    Place on a serving dish.

49. 
    Sprinkle cheese

    Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese

50. 
    Serve

    Serve and enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• Use an oven mitten or hot pads to protect your self from burns while putting the cookie sheet into and out of the hot oven.

[Dawnella66]

on 9/25/2009 What a great idea, and you know, Im betting the kids would find a new love for veggies with this nifty recipe. Thank you for sharing it with everyone~~~*****5/rec

[ringgold]

on 9/23/2009 Sounds great!!! Eggplants could be used instead of the zucchini for a change. 5*