Stuffed courgettes
I am very proud of this recipe for making light Stuffed courgettes, also called zucchini. The reason is that I composed the recipe while calculating the Weight Watchers Propoints online, cooked it and it was delicious at the first attempt. So no browsing on internet, no looking through my recipes on pieces of paper… nothing: I made it from scratch! I wanted to keep the portion low in points: about 4-5 points maximum, and of course I wanted the stuffed courgettes to be light & yummy. Originally I intended to put some breadcrumbs on the top, as you can see in the ingredients photo. But at the end I did without it and saved 1 point.
I am very happy with the result, as you may have noticed… these stuffed courgettes are really delicious and very light. Even my partner, who does not like this vegetable too much, after tasted one half finished them all. And I couldn’t even save a portion for the following day…
Stuffed courgettes – the recipe
Information
Type: Light dishes
Portions: 2
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 45 min
Difficulty: easy
Weight Watchers ProPoints per portion: 4
Ingredients
2 large or 4 small courgettes
1 small onion, chopped
70 g ricotta cheese
2 tsp grated parmesan
30 g grated hard cheese as gouda/cheddar
90 g lean cooked ham, diced
3-4 basil leaves, chopped by hand (to retain more of the flavour)
3-4 sprays of a good quality extra virgin olive oil cooking spray (*)
salt & pepper to taste
(*) I often use extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, to have more control of the quantity if oil I use. If you cannot find a good quality oil in spray form, I suggest you buy a suitable spray bottle and make it yourself with your preferred oil.
Preparation
Wash the courgettes and cut the ends off. If the courgettes are very long cut them in half first. Half the courgettes lengthwise and put them for 2-3 minutes in salty boiling water. Drain and cool the courgettes. Take the pulp out and chop it in pieces. Let dry pulp and courgettes for a few more minutes in two colanders.
In the meantime chop the onion in small cubes and mic in a bowl together with ricotta, cooked ham, parmesan, basil, salt and pepper. Add the courgettes pulp and mix carefully to avoid to squash the pulp.
Lay all the half courgettes on a board and distribute the filling amongst all of them. Make sure to press the filling inside the courgettes very well without leaving empty spaces. Distribute the grated cheese on top. Prepare an oven tray either spraying it with the cooking oil spray or covering it with a sheet of baking paper. Transfer all the courgettes on the oven tray and spray them lightly with the oil spray. Put the tray in a preheated oven at 180° for about 30 minutes, then increase the temperature at 22’° for 10 more minutes. This way the filling gets well cooked and the cheese on the top of the courgettes will brown nicely.
Take the tray out of the oven and transfer the stuffed courgettes in a serving dish. They are yummy just out of the oven but also delicious served at room temperature!
As some of my affectionate readers would often comment on my Italian blog: this isn’t a sad diet, is it?!?
Buon appetito!
by Giovanna Buono
Extra Information
Serve these stuffed courgettes with a warm brown roll and a green or tomatoes salad for a light & yummy meal.
follow light & yummy on facebook!
