1080. Courgette Cottage Cheese Gratin

This low(er) fat cheesy gratin came to me at a time when I wanted something rich, bubbly, and cheesy, like a vegetable non-tomato lasagna of sorts. It's meatless too, but remains high in protein due to the cottage cheese. I just might go as far as calling it a diet dish, especially if you moderate your portion.
Courgette boats float in a shallow pool of a light beschamel, and stuffed with a cheesy-garlicky cottage cheese mixture. This is then topped off with another grating of parmesan and some herbed breadcrumbs for a post-baked crunch.

Ingredients:

4 lebanese courgettes
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Method:

Make the beschamel: in a large sauce pan, saute the flour in the melted butter until starts to take color. Add the milk, whisking all the while to avoid lumps. Stir over medium-high heat until bubbly and thick but pourable. Season to taste and pour the beschamel into an oven-safe deep dish (8" by 6").
In a small bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, egg, grated parmesan, grated garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Halve the courgettes lengthwise and hollow out with a spoon to form little boats. The walls of the courgette should be about half centimeter thick. Stuff the boats with the cottage cheese mix and lay onto the beschamel. Sprinkle with additional grated parmesan.
To make the topping, toss the breadcrumbs and chopped parsley in the melted butter and sprinkle over the boats.
Bake in a preheated 375F oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Broil if necessary to give some golden color. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

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