Ingredients:
6 large zucchini
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 (12 ounce) packages jimmy dean low-fat breakfast sausage
1 large onions ( large dice)
4 ounces cream cheese
24 ounces homemade marinara sauce ( if you use canned… saute a little garlic, parsley, and olive oil and let it simmer for 15 – 20 min)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese ( shredded)
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Do not trim the top or bottom of the zucchini.
Place the whole zucchini in the water and let simmer for approximately 5 minutes.
You just want the zucchini to soften.
Therefore, you will need to take less time if you can’t find large zucchini.
Remove the zucchini and let cool.
Once you can handle them without burning yourself cut them in half and scoop out a cavity leaving a good thick wall for support.
Put some olive oil in the bottom of the baking pans, a thin layer of the marinara, then place the zucchini in one layer.
Saute the onions with olive oil until they become transparent.
Add the crumbled sausage and continue sauteing until the sausage is cooked.
Allow this mixture to cool slightly.
In a food processor take the sausage mixture, zucchini”insides”, and cream cheese.
Pulse slightly until you have combined the ingredients into a fairly smooth mixture.
Make sure you don’t process too long or it will become baby food.
Place the sausage mixture in the zucchini halves, top with the marinara and mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
FYI- You can prepare this up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate before baking.
You may need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time since the dish is chilled.
Servings: 8
Time preparation: 60 min.
Time total: 90 min.