Have you ever looked in your refrigerator and realized everything was on the verge of going bad?
This happened to me yesterday... My zucchini and broccoli were starting to look a little sad, my turkey was on it's last day before expiration, and I had a couple strips of wayward bacon threatening to turn a corner. NOOOOOOOO!!!
I prefer to cook what I want, when I want, on my own terms - but at times like this, I know I have to make shit happen so I can use up whatever I have!
I hate wasting food - I think it's the dumbest thing ever, and so easily avoidable. I know I'm at risk of sounding cliché (or like your nagging mother/grandmother/etc.), but I hate it especially since I know there are people around the world who are regularly going hungry.
I try to buy just enough at the store every time we go so that we can get through it before it spoils, and I try never to let laziness get in my way and just suck it up and cook everything in a timely manner. I definitely don't normally make something so involved for a midday meal, but I found myself with an extra hour of free time before lunch yesterday so I figured I'd go for it...
This led me to make these easy, tasty zucchini boats!
Just a word of warning, this is NOT a specific recipe - you can add, subtract, or substitute literally anything you want based on your tastes, dietary needs and specifications, or macro goals!
I literally made this up on the spot, so I'll just tell you what I did, and you can feel free to follow along or take it in a completely different direction :) this is not only a great way to use up your stray ingredients, but also an easy way to get more veggies in, they look pretty cute (if I do say so myself), and are even better the next day!
So here we go!
First things first, throw your tasty bacon strips on a foil-lined baking sheet (because nobody likes cleaning those) and bake at 415 degrees F until desired doneness, around 15 minutes or so for me. I used 6 bacon strips because that's what I had left, and Chris and I currently have room for extra fats in our macros - woohoo! :)
Next, start your turkey. I used a 1.5lb package of 93/7, meaning 93% lean and 7% fat. I seasoned mine with onion salt, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper, and cooked it in a large pan on medium-high heat until lightly browned and almost cooked through.
While that was cooking, I chopped up my broccoli - again, I used what I had left (which was quite a bit) but you can use as much or as little as you like! I love the flavor of broccoli with the other ingredients I used, and it added a little extra texture to my filling, so don't be afraid to add a lot!
Before the turkey was fully done, I added the broccoli to cook it a little before it hit the oven. I wanted it to keep some crunch, so as soon as it was crisp-tender (the same time the turkey finished cooking) I cut the heat under the pan.
While the turkey and broccoli were cooking, I washed, halved, and scooped the insides out of my zucchini with a spoon. I then put them face up on a baking sheet that I lined with foil and spritzed with nonstick cooking spray. I saved the insides of the zucchini (as well as a couple that I accidentally poked holes in when trying to hollow them out) to use later in a stir fry or vegetable medley, but that's just me...
I forgot to take pictures of the next steps, but I took the bacon strips out of the oven, drained them and patted the extra grease off using paper towels, chopped them up into small pieces and added them to the turkey/broccoli mixture.
I then poured about 2/3 of a jar of Classico Four Cheese Alfredo sauce (super great macros on this jarred white sauce, we use it all the time) over everything and stirred it together. I just used this more as a flavoring and binder, so it was not super saucy when I was finished... Keep in mind that the zucchini can give off some moisture while cooking, so a drier filling can actually be to your advantage here. You can always add more sauce over the top of the finished product if you'd like!
Use a spoon to fill the cavities you've hollowed out in your zucchini with your turkey mixture, evenly distributing the filling among as many as you've made.
I added a few crumbles of goat cheese on top of ours, but you definitely don't have to - you can omit it altogether, or you can use another cheese like mozzarella if you'd prefer!
I threw these in the oven (I reduced the temperature to 400 degrees) for about 20 minutes, but only because I forgot them in there haha... I like my zucchini a little on the crispier side, so if I could do it again I'd take them out earlier so they'd retain even more of their fresh crunch!
After they came out of the oven, I sprinkled them with fresh basil and that was that! Lunch was done, and all my leftovers were put to good use.
Not too bad for a Thursday afternoon, huh?
I hope you'll consider adding this "recipe" idea to your arsenal, and feel free to make it your own! You can use ground beef, ground chicken, shredded meat, marinara sauce, pesto, substitute different veggies and cheese, use mexican style spices with peppers and onions, even take it in an asian-inspired direction with soy and sriracha... The possibilities are endless, so go nuts!
You can make it as healthy as you want to, and it can fit any eating plan. If you need help adapting it to your individual needs, let me know!
If you try this, I want to hear about it! Make sure to tag me!
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you'd like :)