Ingredients (serves 4)
2 medium zucchini (cut lengthwise, hollowed)
½ cup low-fat ricotta cheese
2 cups fresh spinach (or about ¼ cup frozen, thawed & squeezed)
½ cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic (minced)
Cooking spray (or a light drizzle of olive oil)
Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (to taste)
Optional: a sprinkle of grated Parmesan or part-skim mozzarella for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to about 180-190 °C (350-375 °F).
Prepare the zucchini: cut each in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds to form “boats”. Pat them dry.
Spray a skillet with cooking spray (or use a small amount of oil). Sauté mushrooms until softened. Add garlic and spinach; cook until spinach wilts. Season with salt/pepper.
Remove from heat and stir in the ricotta until well combined.
Place zucchini boats in a baking dish. Fill each with the spinach-mushroom-ricotta mixture. If using, sprinkle a little Parmesan or part-skim mozzarella on top.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes (check at ~8 minutes if zucchini are thinner) until the boats are tender and filling is heated through.
Serve hot, maybe garnish with fresh herbs (basil, parsley) if you like.
Weight Watchers Points Estimate
According to some sources, this type of zucchini boat dish is estimated at ~1 WW point per serving when using low-fat ricotta and keeping toppings light.
However:
Zucchini and spinach (non-starchy veggies) are typically 0 points on WW baseline plans.
The ricotta cheese and any cheese topping add the points.
If you add extra oil, heavy cheese, bread crumbs, or sauce, the points will go up.
So: If you stick closely to the “low-fat ricotta + minimal oil + mostly veggies” version, you can plan for 1-2 points per serving (on many WW plans). If you add heavier topping or larger cheese portion, maybe 3-4 points.
Tips to keep it low-point
Use low-fat ricotta (rather than full-fat).
Use cooking spray instead of generous oil.
Skip or minimize the extra cheese topping (or use part-skim).
Keep breadcrumbs, heavy cream, or rich sauces out (these add points).
Use non-starchy vegetables (zucchini, spinach, mushrooms) — these are “free” or 0-point on many WW plans.
Measure and portion carefully rather than “eyeballing” large fillings.
Nutrition (approximate)
In one version I found: ~130 kcal, 5 g carbs, 7 g protein, 10 g fat for one zucchini boat.
Again: your numbers will vary depending on exact ricotta/cheese/oil amounts.
