Budget Meal, Casseroles, Dinner, Keto-Paleo, Meal Prep Worthy, Weeknight

Weeknight Italian Squash Boats

by Kelly Favara

Do you ever notice how happy people are on Wednesday? It’s no Friday but man, there are so many more smiles!

Happy Wednesday!

When I was in college and living alone, I stuffed zucchini with any and everything. It was affordable, easy to prep, and even easier to warm up for lunch between class and work.

In an effort to keeping things simple around here, I am pulling these out of the closet and sharing them with you! Removing the center membrane full of seeds reduces the moisture so make sure to spend the time if you’re planning to eat on these for a few days and want a “deep” stuff! These will last in your fridge for up to 5 days, making them perfect for meal prep.

Did you have a college staple you lived on during the early years? Between these and “Sushi Pizza” from a local restaurant, I never went hungry.

Don’t forget to snap a photo and post it online with the hashtag, “wholesomejoy”, and let me know how these turn out for you in the comments below!

Weeknight Italian Squash Boats

  • Servings: 8 Boats
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Ingredients

    • 4 zucchini
    • Freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
  2. Wash and dry zucchini. On a cutting board, remove the stem and slice zucchini long ways in half.
  3. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Run spoon through the center of the squash to create an even hollow “dip”.
  4. Place zucchini in a casserole dish and fill each one with the meat mixture. Top with fresh grated cheese if desired.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes or until zucchini are fork tender.

*Note: A high quality premade tomato sauce is a great alternative to making your own meat sauce. In a large skillet, brown meat of choice and add sauce.
*Note: Save time by making the sauce ahead and storing in the fridge until use.

Estimated budget breakdown per my local Kroger Store at the time of publish, 10/17/2018, with the assumption spices and cooking fat will not be purchased.

Rough sauce estimate, published 10/15/2018: $7.32
Zucchini estimate: $1.20
Total estimated cost of meal: $8.52; $1.07 per boat

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