Zucchini Pizza Boats

Sometimes I just miss the gooey cheesiness of pizza, but if I try to snag a bite of someone’s I always regret it almost immediately.  Here’s a way to have good pizza taste, a healthy dose of veggies and some good solid protein.  It’s also quick and easy to prepare so what could be bad?

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini
• Kirkland Marinara Sauce (Costco brand or any other that has 40-60 calories per ½ cup)
• Hormel turkey pepperoni
• Trader Joe’s light shredded mozzarella cheese
• Sliced olives/jalapenos/dried red chili pepper or other garnish as desired(don’t forget to count these calories as they are not included)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Wash and rinse zucchini.  Cut off ends and then slice in half lengthwise.  Use a spoon to remove the seeded portion to make a shallow trough in the zucchini.
3. Using a knife or vegetable peeler cut a strip off the bottom of the zucchini so they will lay flat.
4. Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray - I use my Misto with olive oil
5. Place the zucchini on the pan- fill each trough with about ½ cup of marinara sauce - the exact amount is dictated by the exact size of the zucchini and the trough.
6. Top each with about 1 ounce of the cheese
7. Place pepperoni on top of cheese (about 8 slices per boat)
8. Top with a little more cheese (use about 1 ounce more total on all 4 boats)
9. Garnish with jalapenos, sliced olives or anything else you might enjoy on your pizza
10. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted.

ENJOY!

Nutritional values: 

Each zucchini (2 boats) is around --

• 275 calories and
• 24 grams of protein