Sorry I didn’t post this recipe yesterday, it was a rough day. Unfortunately, I attended the funeral of a friend. It was heartbreaking and emotionally draining. I left feeling all the love everyone had for him, but the obvious hole that he left is gaping. Seeing so many people in that much pain is almost unbearable. I hope my hugs helped a tiny bit for at least a few moments of comfort.

Life truly is so fleeting.

Anyway, here’s your weekly recipe. I promise it’s a good one… and it’s adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen, so you know it’s awesome. Her recipe calls for onions and green peppers, but I don’t like either so I removed. Visit her site for the original recipe.

Meat, Tomato, and Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Cups

2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 12 inches long
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (may need more, depending on your pan)
2 T finely minced fresh garlic 
1 lb. ground turkey (10% fat or less)
Onion powder for seasoning
2 C flavorful tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 cups low-fat mozzarella or other mild white cheese

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Chop onion and green pepper. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick pan, then sauté  minced garlic about 1 minute, being careful not to brown the garlic. Remove garlic to a bowl.

Add 2 tsp. more olive oil to the pan. Crumble in the ground turkey, season with onion powder, and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Tilt pan to see if there is any extra fat, and remove with a spoon if there is, then stir  garlic back into the meat. Add tomato sauce and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat.

While meat cools, cut zucchini into 2 inch thick slices, discarding ends. Use a sharp spoon or melon baller to hollow out a cup in each zucchini slice, leaving just over 1/4 inch of zucchini flesh. Be careful not to get too close to the skin or the cups will leak liquid when they cook.

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and stand up zucchini cups, open end up. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture (it doesn’t need to be completely cool), then spoon the meat-cheese mixture into zucchini cups, pressing down with the spoon and mounding it up a little over the top of the zucchini.

Bake zucchini cups for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use remaining cheese to top each one with a generous pinch of cheese. Put back in oven and bake 10-15 minutes more, until zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.