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Happy New Year, everybody! I don’t know about you, but I had a very wonderful holiday season. Cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, cookies and cocoa all throughout the month of December, and on New Year’s Eve, an absolutely delicious roast with some equally scrumptious (and buttery, and creamy) mashed potatoes on the side.

But now it’s January, still the middle of winter, and all I have to keep me warm are a series of resolutions I made and the extra pounds I packed on through a month of what I’ll charitably describe as caution-free consumption.

With that in mind, I’ve put this recipe together, featuring a lot of fresh vegetables and coming in at about 400 calories per serving. This would be equally nice served as a dinner alongside a garden salad or prepared in advance and reheated for a quick and tasty lunch.

Recipe

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling over zucchini

1 tablespoon butter

3-4 ounces oyster mushrooms, diced fine

2 medium zucchini, hollowed out with a spoon, insides retained

1 small onion, diced fine

1 pinch salt

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup Italian panko breadcrumbs

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Dice mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are just beginning to become crispy on the edges, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the mushrooms are sautéing, split zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Dice the zucchini insides and the onion.

Add diced zucchini and onion to the skillet. Add salt and cook down until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add sausage, sear, crumble, stir to combine, and stir occasionally until thoroughly cooked. Add oregano and stir to combine.

Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly until combined and tomato paste is heated.

Drizzle olive oil on Zucchini boats, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fill with 1/4 of the filling per boat. Top with panko.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes until knife easily pierces zucchini flesh. Add mozzarella and broil an additional 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbly, and is beginning to brown.

Source: Alex Gallegos

I’ve seen other recipes that call for squeezing the liquid out from the zucchini scooped from the insides. That’s not necessary here because we’re cooking it to drive the moisture out. In fact, the whole thing cooks much faster in the oven because the filling is already fully cooked. Some recipes ask you to cook the filling and the shells at the same time, but that can lead to zucchini that is overdone by the time the filling reaches a nice consistency. In this case, once the shells are cooked to your desired tenderness, they’re ready to have cheese added and be broiled to finish.

I tested this recipe initially with some fresh basil thinly sliced and sprinkled over the top of the finished dish but ultimately decided against it in the final version. But if you feel experimental and want an extra burst of flavor, that is always an option as well.

Alex Gallegos is an enthusiastic home cook who enjoys trying new recipes and learning new techniques. Find this recipe and others like it at PlatefulsOfFlavors.com.