Low-carb courgette boats with tomato and feta filling

Low-carb courgette boats with tomato and feta filling: an oven dish with courgettes, cherry tomatoes, feta, olives, red pepper, garlic and oregano.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 25 min
• Total time: 40 min
• Calories: 310 kcal per serving
• Protein: 18 g
• Fat: 22 g
• Carbs: 12 g

Ingredients

• 150 g cherry tomatoes
• 2 medium courgettes
• 1 garlic clove
• 100 g sheep's cheese
• 2 tbsp black olives
• 1 shallot
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ red pepper
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking dish · chopping board · knife · mixing bowl

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Halve the courgettes lengthways, carefully hollow out the middle, salt lightly and place them in a baking dish.
2. Mix the cherry tomatoes, red pepper, black olives, shallot and garlic in a bowl. Toss everything briefly so the flavours spread.
3. Fold in the sheep's cheese and oregano. Season with black pepper and just a little salt, as the olives and sheep's cheese are already well seasoned.
4. Spoon the filling into the courgette boats and press down lightly. Drizzle with olive oil.
5. Bake the courgette boats at 200 °C for 20–25 min, until the courgettes are soft and the sheep's cheese is lightly golden.
6. Take them out of the oven, leave to cool briefly and serve with fresh basil if you like.

Good to know

When it needs to be easy but still really good, these courgette boats are just my thing. Juicy, savoury and pleasantly light.

Swaps

Sheep's cheese → soft goat's cheese (often a little milder and usually slightly less salty) Black olives → capers (less fat, strong flavour in a smaller amount) Cherry tomatoes → diced fresh tomatoes + 1 tbsp tomato purée (more lycopene from the purée, often more aromatic) 2 tbsp olive oil → 1 tbsp olive oil + 1–2 tbsp stock for cooking (fewer calories, same flavour)

Allergens

Contains milk from the sheep's cheese. Olives and vegetables are generally easy to use every day; for children, go easy on the garlic, and during pregnancy pasteurised sheep's cheese is the safe choice.

Frequently asked questions

What nutrients are in courgettes?

Courgettes are mostly water, plus fibre and smaller amounts of potassium, vitamin C and folate. They're mild in flavour.

What do tomatoes and red pepper bring to this dish?

Tomatoes bring lycopene and vitamin C, among others, and red pepper adds vitamin C and various carotenoids. The exact amounts depend on ripeness and variety.

How much lactose does sheep's cheese contain?

Many aged sheep's cheeses contain only a little lactose, which some people find more pleasant. You can only rely on that if the product's label says so.

Why are olives and olive oil interesting nutritionally?

Both mainly provide monounsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid. Olives also contain salt, so it's worth going easy on extra seasoning.