Unstuffed Zucchini

I've had this sitting in my recipe pile for a while now. If I remember correctly, I found this on the WeightWatchers boards. I didn't think it sounded too difficult, and the husband and I really enjoy zucchini, so why not give it a try?

Unstuffed Zucchini (6 servings at 6 points a piece)

Ingredients:

1 pound cooked ground beef 5-7% fat
2 cup cooked zucchini
1/2 cup cooked carrots
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1 cup canned tomato paste
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 packet SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
2 cup fat-free beef broth

Instructions:

Brown beef and drain, add all the ingredients except rice and bring to a boil. Add rice and cook till done. Takes about 5 minutes.

I had a full evening of dance classes yesterday, so I was unable to do the cooking. Guess who cooked? The husband! Dangerous I know! Now remember I was not there, so he was left to his own devices.

The recipe called for cooked zucchini and carrots; so he steamed these first. The husband of course used ground turkey and chicken broth instead of ground beef and beef broth. We also didn't have enough tomato paste or sauce so he used one 6 oz can of tomato paste and two 8 oz cans of tomato sauce, and cut back on the broth a bit. That second can of sauce was actually for another recipe, so it's a good thing I'm going to store soon! The recipe also called for 1/2 cup white rice and 1/2 cup brown rice, but the husband doesn't like brown rice (I LOVE IT), so he used 1 cup of white rice instead.

Now for the verdict. The dish tasted EXCELLENT. The houseguest and I were of course starving when we got home, and a big pot of unstuffed zucchini was waiting for us when we got there. I of course looked it over and started asking the husband a million questions, but everything looked in order. The vegetables were very tender. The rice and tomato sauce had a creamy texture to it, and mixed very well with the vegetables. The husband and I both agreed that the dish needs more zucchini and carrots, so next time we'll add some more. At the request of the husband, I'm going to add this to my regular rotation. After dinner, I told the husband that it was very good, and he replied with, "I know it's good, I cooked it."