Unbelievably Delicious Zucchini Boats!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.

2. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the interior flesh with a spoon. Chop and reserve about 3/4 of the flesh for the stuffing.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add zucchini halves and cook for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

4. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef; cook and stir until browned and broken into very small pieces, 5 to 7 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper; stir some more. Quickly add reserved chopped zucchini flesh, onion, and carrot; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in red wine and Worcestershire; cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef stock and cook for 3 minutes. Simmer until mixture reduces, about 10 more minutes.

5. Place zucchini halves into the prepared baking dish. Fill each with an even amount of beef mixture, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Tips

If the beef mixture in Step 4 is too runny, thicken it with a little cornstarch.