Zucchini Skillet Dinner

This was a perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner! Full of flavor, oozing with cheese, and oh yeah, packed with healthy veggies too. This meal was inspired by a zucchini skillet recipe from Recipes Straight from the Kowboy's Kitchen. Rachel altered a recipe for vegetable stuffed zucchini to make this easy skillet recipe to meet her family's tastes. I happened to have two big zucchini and a bunch of tomatoes that I'd just purchased from the local farmer's market when I saw her post. Excellent timing! I put my own spin on her recipe and this is what I came up with.

First, I cut up 3-4 red potatoes, arranged them on a baking sheet, drizzled them with olive oil, and sprinkled them with seasoning salt. Then I popped them into a 400 degree oven until tender and browned. You'll probably want to stir them once or twice. I baked them for 15...maybe 20 minutes.



While the potatoes roast, brown a pound of Italian sausage in a skillet. To cut the fat, try turkey sausage. It's good stuff. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of this step. Remove the sausage from the skillet to drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Leave the drippings in the skillet. If your sausage is very lean, then you may need to add a little oil to the skillet before throwing in the chopped zucchini and onion. Saute until tender, then add in a couple cloves of minced garlic and cook and stir for a minute longer, until fragrant. I should mention that I like to give the zucchini a little sprinkle of seasoning salt as well.



Add in a teaspoon of Italian seasoning or some dried basil and oregano.



Then stir in the tomatoes. I think I used two medium to large chopped tomatoes.



Add the sausage back in to the mix. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.



Stir in the roasted potatoes.



Taste the mixture, then salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover again until the cheese melts.



And that's dinner!



Krista's Zucchini Skillet


3-4 red potatoes potatoes, cut up

olive oil

seasoning salt

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 medium zucchini

1 tablespoon olive oil (of needed)

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 large cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

1-1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack, Monterrey Jack, or Cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up potatoes and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Roast until tender and browned (15-20 minutes), stirring a couple of times during the roasting process. Meanwhile, cook and crumble sausage in large skillet until cooked through. Set aside. Add more oil to pan, if needed. Add in zucchini and onion. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Saute until tender. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add sausage and tomatoes to pan. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Stir in roasted potatoes. Turn off stove and add cheese to top, re-cover until cheese is melted.

Notes: You could easily reduce the fat in this recipe by using turkey sausage and using less cheese...or omitting the cheese altogether. Save on time (and dishes) by adding frozen diced pototes/hash browns from your freezer, rather than roasting your own.

For a printable copy of this recipe, please click here!

Dilled Fish and Vegetable Packet

The one thing this recipe has going for it...nutrition. It's healthy. One serving equals just 178 calories and 2 grams of fat. Beyond that, it's okay. It is what it is, baked fish and vegetables.

Here's what it's not:



A juicy steak dinner. Tonight my husband asked, "Why do you have to make fish?" My answer, "Because it's healthy." I mean, as much as he'd like it, we can't have steak or pasta every night. Plus, he's got a physical tomorrow. Don't ya'll cram for important tests? This was my way of helping him cram. I mean, I can't send him in there all packed full of triglycerides, especially after he told me about his Cracker Barrel breakfast yesterday. This fish dish was just what the doctor ordered.

It's super easy to prep. Just line a baking sheet with foil and arrange a pound of fish fillets. You're supposed to spray them with butter flavored spray. This was my one cheat in the recipe. I don't even know what that "stuff" is made of. So, I used about 1/2 a tablespoon of softened real butter and spread it over the fish. Salt and pepper.



In a bowl, combine 2 cups of halved baby carrots, 2 cups of snow peas, a sliced green onion, a couple cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of snipped dill, and a little more salt and pepper.



Top the fish with your veggie mixture, then drizzle with white wine and/or chicken broth. I used about 1/4 cup of each.


Now put another piece of foil over the top and crimp the edges to seal before you pop it into a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until your fish flakes easily with a fork.



Here it is. The kids loved the baby carrots. I didn't think it was too bad. I'd eat it again. Maybe I'll try it with Orange Roughy next time. I seem to prefer it to Tilapia. Here's to your heart!



Dilled Fish and Vegetable Packet from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty magazine


4 tilapia fillets (4 ounces each)
Refrigerated butter-flavored spray
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
2 cups fresh snow peas
2 cups fresh baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth

Place an 18-in. x 12-in. piece of heavy-duty foil on a large baking sheet. Arrange
fillets in a single layer on foil; spritz with butter-flavored spray. Sprinkle
with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Combine the peas, carrots,
onion, dill, garlic and remaining salt and pepper; spoon over fish. Drizzle with
wine or broth. Top with a second large piece of foil. Bring edges of foil pieces
together; crimp to seal, forming a large packet. Bake at 400° for 20-25
minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and vegetables are crisp-tender.
Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
One serving: 1 fillet with 3/4 cup vegetables Calories: 178 Fat: 2 g Saturated Fat:0 g Cholesterol: 55 mg Sodium: 396 mg Carbohydrate: 13 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 24 g Diabetic Exchange: 3 very lean meat, 2 vegetable.

Weight Watchers Points: 3 per serving