Aunt Rocky’s Stuffed Zucchini (LCHF)

Cut tips off of zucchini, and cover with water in a sauce pan. Boil gently long enough for the zucchini to get tender, about 15–20 minutes. It needs to be soft enough to stick a fork all the way through. Once the zucchini is done, remove from water and allow to cool until needed.

While the zucchini is boiling, start prepping the filling.

Dice the bacon and fry in large frying pan until it starts crisping up. Do not drain the bacon grease. Add onion and continue cooking until onion is opaque and beginning to brown. Add garlic, and cook one minute more.

Add tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and stir well. Remove from heat until zucchini is cool enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Once zucchini is cooled a bit, place the whole squashes in a row in an 11 by 7 baking pan. Slice in half lengthwise. Very gently, use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp, adding them to the skillet with the tomato sauce filling. Lightly salt the remaining zucchini skins and set aside.

Return the skillet with the filling to medium heat. While the filling is heating up, use a spoon or spatula to break the zucchini pulp down into very small pieces. Mix well and allow to simmer a couple of minutes. If you want the filling to be thicker, sprinkle the glucomannan (or your choice of thickener) lightly over the entire surface of the filling. Continue cooking a couple more minutes until it thickens.

Scoop filling back into zucchini shells, distributing evening. It will be mounded up a bit (which is why it helps to thicken the filling). Sprinkle the cheese over the top of each zucchini.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until cheese is beginning to brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Leftovers may be frozen or stored in the refrigerator.

Note: If you want to make this up ahead of time, you can do that and keep in the refrigerator or freezer until it’s time to bake the dish. If frozen, allow to fully defrost before baking.

Nutritional information (estimates are per serving based on exact ingredients I used, calculated with a free online recipe analyzer): Calories 83, Total Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Sodium 379 mg, Potassium 353 mg, Total Carbohydrate 6 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Net Carbs 4 g, Sugars 5 g, Protein 5 g. Macros: 56% fat, 25% protein, 19% carbs.

© March 30, 2017 Roxana Lopez for Aunt Rocky’s

For more low carb/keto recipes and cooking tips, look for Aunt Rocky’s Low Carb Recipes Group on Facebook.