{Taste Test Tuesday} Spicy Italian Zucchini Boats

I recently discovered Pinterest and have been testing recipes I've found on it.  I saw this recipe floating around and made the assumption there was Italian sausage in it, but that's not the case.  It's a veggie loaded with other veggies...perfect if you're a vegetarian.  Okay, so it's not the end of the world there's no meat in them, but I definitely needed some protein to go with this dish.  I grilled up some chicken and had these on the side.  They do have a kick to them, so if you don't like spicy food you'll want to cut back the red pepper flakes.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
• 3 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out pulp and seeds, leaving 1/4-inch shell (use a small spoon for this).  Reserve the pulp from two zucchini slices and chop.  Combine zucchini pulp, garlic, tomato, mushrooms, 1 teaspoon basil, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.  Divide mixture among zucchini shells.

Place stuffed zucchini in a 13x9 baking dish; cover with foil.  Bake for 25 minutes or until zucchini is tender.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil.

Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking website

I did like these very much as a side dish and they turned out so pretty. (Except for the bottoms - the skin kind of burnt)  The fresh basil and meaty mushrooms were tasty, but the real winner was the Parmesan cheese!  Mmm...cheese.  These do not make good leftovers, I REPEAT, these do not make good leftovers!  They turn into floppy, soggy...things. 

I'd give these ☆☆☆☆ out of 5 stars.  What's your favorite vegetarian recipe?