This Keto Italian Stuffed Zucchini is a recipe that comes from Rome (Zucchini Ripiene Alla Romana). The zucchini is stuffed with ground beef, prosciutto, mortadella, and Pecorino Romano cheese. This is the perfect meal for Sunday dinners or dinner parties! It’s an authentic Italian recipe that’s low in carbs and full of flavor.
The Method
Start this dish by preparing the tomato sauce. Use good quality canned tomatoes such as San Marzano Tomatoes or La Pavoncella Italian Peeled Tomatoes. In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the diced onions and carrots for about 2-3 minutes until soft. Add in 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes. You can purée these before adding them to the pot, or you can smash them with a fork once they become tender from cooking.
Meanwhile, prepare the zucchini. Slice the tops and bottoms of the zucchini and cut in half or into thirds depending on the size. Cut out the center of the zucchini while leaving the exterior shell fully intact. Stuff the zucchini with the ground beef, mortadella, prosciutto, Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano-Reggiano ), parsley and nutmeg.
Finally, place the stuffed zucchini in the tomato sauce and simmer on medium-low heat for 1 hour.
Keto Bread
Traditionally this recipe uses bread soaked in milk. Since this is a low carb recipe, you can choose to leave out the bread or you can use any low carb bread of your choice. The bread does help the filling stick together, but it is not necessary. For keto bread, our favorite is the Carbonaut white bread. You can soak this bread in water or heavy cream for the filling.
Cheese
Since this is a typical dish from Rome, Pecorino Romano cheese is used. However, you can also use freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. I highly recommend using this type of cheese as they are full of flavor and make a great compliment to this dish. If you don’t have access to this type of cheese, or prefer a mild cheese you can use mozzarella.
Keto Italian Stuffed Zucchini (Zucchini Ripiene Alla Romana)
Ingredients
- 6 Large Zucchini
- 1 Lbs Regular Ground Beef
- 150 Grams Pecorino Romano Or Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- 100 Grams Mortadella
- 100 Grams Prosciutto
- 50 Grams White Onion Diced.
- 50 Grams Medium Carrot Diced.
- 1 Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes 794 Grams.
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Bunch Parsley
- 1 Tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- Salt To Taste.
- Pepper To Taste.
- 2 Slices of Low Carb Bread + -1/4- 1/3 Cup of Water or Heavy Cream Optional.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Sauté diced carrots and onion until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add canned whole peeled tomatoes and whole garlic cloves to the pot and simmer over medium-low heat.
- You can blend the whole peeled tomatoes before adding them into the pot. Or you can smash the peeled tomatoes with a fork once tender before adding in the stuffed zucchini.
- Meanwhile, prepare the stuffed zucchini.
- Remove the tops and bottoms from the zucchini and cut in half or into 3rds depending on the size.
- Remove the center of the zucchini while keeping the exterior fully intact.
- Salt the inside of the zucchini and set aside on a paper towel.
- Prepare the filling.
- If using keto breadcrumbs, soak in water or heavy cream and set aside.
- Combine ground beef, mortadella, prosciutto, Pecorino Romano cheese, egg, parsley, and nutmeg to a blender or food processor and pulse until combined.
- Stuff the zucchini with the filling.
- Once all of the zucchini is stuffed, place the zucchini in the pot with the tomato sauce and simmer for 1 hour until tender and cooked through.
- Tip: If you have leftover filling, make meatballs and simmer in the sauce with the zucchini!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- 507 CaloriesÂ
- 13.6g CarbohydratesÂ
- 4.3g Fiber
- 31.9g FatÂ
- 32.8g Protein
- 533 Calories
- 16.3g Carbohydrates
- 6.3g Fiber
- 33.1g FatÂ
- 34.8g Protein
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve tried our Keto Italian Stuffed Zucchini (Zucchini Ripiene Alla Romana). If you’re looking for more keto or low carb recipes, visit our recipe page!
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