Bake zucchini in the oven: tasty, healthy, fast

The modest squash is a vegetable with great potential, which deserves attention and respect! The zucchini has neither a tempting color, nor a seductive smell, nor an attractive appearance, but this is not a reason to exclude it from the diet.

It has so much potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, organic acids, that it will give odds to many vegetables and even fruits. Yes, it doesn’t have a fantastic taste, but it is one of the most healthy diet foods with record low calorie content. Vegetable is good in any form: raw, fried, baked, stewed. The easiest way, excluding raw food, bake it in the oven at home.

Preparation for baking: how to choose and how much to bake

In the oven, zucchini can be baked without oil to maintain healthy qualities and minimal calories. Cooking is best at temperatures up to 180 degrees.

Cooking time depends on the recipe, the size of the slices and the “youth” of zucchini. It can be 15 minutes and up to an hour. The vegetable itself is cooked quickly, because there are lovers who eat it generally raw, but for those stuffed, especially meat, it will take much more time. The dish is placed in a preheated oven to preserve as many nutrients as possible.

Classic recipe with tomatoes and cheese

The recipe is known and loved by many housewives for its simplicity, speed, taste and low cost.

• Lubricate the pan with oil, and warm the oven to 180 degrees.
• Cut the zucchini into circles (approximately 5-6 mm thick), add a little salt, put on a baking sheet.
• Pass the garlic through a press or chop finely, mix with mayonnaise. Lubricate the vegetable circles with a mixture. Cut the cheese into thin rectangles and place on the sauce.
• Cut the tomatoes into slices, spread over the cheese, lightly pepper, sprinkle with chopped herbs.
• Place the pan in the oven, cook for about a quarter of an hour. Serve warm.

Diet squash without anything

The easiest and most inexpensive way of baking, but the dish is very tender and low-calorie. Young fruits with a thin skin are best suited. Serve as a separate light meal or as a side dish.

• zucchini - 2 pcs.;
• parsley, dill - a bunch;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• oil - 2 tbsp. l

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, cover the baking sheet with foil, you can slightly grease it with oil. Zucchini cut into cubes, put in a tight bag.
2. Chop greens, crush garlic with a press, mix with oil. Pour the garlic mixture into a bag, add herbs, slightly inflate the bag, tie and shake well so that the pieces are covered with oil and herbs.
3. Lay on a baking sheet, level, bake for about 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Quick and tasty zucchini casserole

There are many recipes for casserole, but always it turns out juicy and tasty. You can cook from grated vegetables, and then pour with beaten eggs, or make a layer between thin pieces of meat or minced meat, or stew with other vegetables.

• minced meat - 300 gr;
• zucchini - 2 pcs.;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• tomatoes - 3 pcs.;
• sour cream - 0.5 tbsp .;
• onion - one;
• cheese - 100 gr;
• tomato paste - 2 tbsp. l .;
• oil - 2 tbsp. l

1. Preheat the pan, fry the minced meat with the addition of oil, salt, pepper and mix.
2. Cut the onion into small cubes, pour into minced meat, mix, fry everything together. Add tomato paste, simmer until meat is ready, let cool.
3. Coarsely rub the squash, squeeze the juice, put half of the mass on the bottom of the mold, greased with oil, lay a layer of minced meat on top, smooth, cover with the remaining vegetables, add a little salt.
4. Peel the tomatoes, cut into slices, put on top of the casseroles.
5. Spread salted sour cream until smooth with eggs, pour into a mold.
6. Sprinkle the fill with finely grated cheese. Send the form to the oven preheated to 200 degrees for about half an hour.
7. Serve the casserole hot or warm, and since there is no fat in it, then in the cold it will be no less tasty.

Stuffed zucchini

You can cook with mushrooms, meat, lean. There are so many recipes that everyone can choose the right one for themselves.

• zucchini - 3-4 pcs.;
• minced meat - 500 gr;
• tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
• onion - one;
• garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• cheese - 70 gr;
• a mixture of greens - a bunch;
• oil, mayonnaise, salt, pepper - to taste.

1. Cut the zucchini in half, carefully remove the pulp, slightly salt, let stand, drain the juice.
2. Cut the pulp into cubes, add salt, let stand for 10 minutes, squeeze slightly.
3. Chop the onion into small cubes, peel the tomatoes, cut into cubes. Crush the garlic with a press.
4. Heat oil in a pan, fry the onions until transparent, put the minced meat, the pulp of zucchini, tomatoes, pepper, salt and mix well. Fry until the meat is ready, put garlic with dill at the end.
5. Dry zucchini boats, fill with minced meat, spread on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with cheese chips, grease with mayonnaise.
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. Sprinkle the prepared stuffed boats with chopped parsley and cilantro.

Calorie content

Calorie content depends on the method of baking. For example, if you simply heat them up without adding sour cream, you’ll get about 25 kcal per 100 grams, and with butter almost 90 kcal.

The vegetable perfectly combines low calorie content and a long-lasting feeling of satiety. There is even an unloading mono diet on zucchini.

Useful Tips

• For cooking, you can use zucchini of any degree of maturity. Better, of course, young, they are more juicy and with elastic flesh, and there are practically no seeds there. Such fruits are recommended not to peel. But if they were bought in a store, and not torn off in the garden, it is better to remove the skin, since most harmful substances accumulate under it.
• Dish to salt immediately before sending in the oven, because a lot of juice is allocated, especially in young fruits. If you then roll pieces in flour, you get porridge. The juice is rich in minerals and vitamins, so it is better not to pour it, but to drink it. It is sweet to taste.
• If you are planning cook lasagna, try replacing the dough sheets with zucchini slices. It will turn out original and no less tasty.

During the season, be sure to cook the baked zucchini as often as possible. This is tasty, healthy, especially for those who want to part with the "excess" weight, and for a unique taste, experiment with the addition of a variety of spices and dry aromatic herbs.