Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups are a delicious low carb alternative to traditional lasagna rolls-ups. With its hearty meat sauce you won’t even miss the pasta.
If you have oodles of zucchini from your garden or farmers market and you’re not sure what to do with it, I have the solution for you. Zucchini lasagna roll-ups will use up your surplus and will make your taste buds very happy.
These roll-ups are also a perfect meal if you’re trying to eat low carb. But, even if you’re not watching your carbs you’ll love these. This dish is so hearty and flavorful, you won’t even miss the pasta.
The key to these zucchini lasagna roll-ups turning out perfectly is to allow the zucchini plenty of time to release it’s moisture and patting it all dry. If you skip this step, the dish will turn out watery.
Nestling the roll-ups in a meaty red sauce is key to making this dish nice and hearty. If you’re vegetarian, you could certainly omit the ground beef and just go with marinara sauce, it will still be delicious.
It does take a bit of time to prep this for the oven, but you can assemble it ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake it. It only bakes for about 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight if you’ve already done the prep work.
Tips and Tricks
- In order to be able to form the zucchini into rolls, it’s important for it too be sliced very thin. The easiest way to get the slices to be a uniform 1/8 inch is to use a mandolin to slice them. It goes quickly and they turn out perfectly. If you don’t have a mandolin, lay the zucchini down and slice down vertically with a large knife to make thin slices.
- I can’t stress enough how important it is to let the zucchini release it’s water. Salt it lightly and lay it in a single layer on paper towels. Then let the zucchini drain for at least an hour. The longer you let it sit the better.
- I use my homemade marinara sauce for this recipe. It’s quick and easy to make, yet it tastes like it’s simmered all afternoon. If you don’t want to make your own sauce, feel free to use your favorite jarred sauce.
- Leftovers heat up well in the microwave.
- I haven’t tried freezing leftovers, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I think freezing would make the zucchini mushy and it might just fall apart.
Here are a few more zucchini recipes you might like:
Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes Chicken and Pesto
Bruschetta Chicken Zucchini Spaghetti
Spicy Italian Sausage and Peppers Over Zucchini Noodles
Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups are a delicious low carb alternative to traditional lasagna rolls-ups. With its hearty meat sauce you won't even miss the pasta.
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- salt
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 (16 oz) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp grated parmesan, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Instructions
Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/8th inch thick slices.
Lightly salt zucchini and stack in single layers in between paper towels.
Let sit for at least 1 hour to allow moisture to be released.
Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large skillet.
Stir in marinara sauce and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until zucchini is ready.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ricotta, garlic, egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/3 cup parmesan, 2/3 cup mozzarella and spinach in a medium mixing bowl.
Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Once zucchini has released its moisture, pat dry.
Spread meat sauce in the bottom of baking dish or an oven safe skillet.
Spread 2 tsp of ricotta mixture evenly on each slice of zucchini and careful roll-up.
Nestle each roll-up into the meat sauce.
Top roll-ups with remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella and 2 tbsp parmesan.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted.
Serve immediatly
Notes
1. Don't be scared away by the long prep time. Most of that is hands off while you let the zucchini release its liquid.
2. The longer you can let the zucchini sit, the better. This will prevent the dish from becoming watery.
3. You can assemble this dish up to a day ahead and refrigerate. When you're ready to back, allow another 10 minutes or so for it to heat through.
4. Using a mandolin is the easiest way to get the zucchini sliced 1/8 inch thick. If you don't have a mandolin, lay the zucchini down and carefully slice down lengthwise with a large knife.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 729mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 31g
This looks delicious. So impressive and fun! And it’s totally my kind of dinner!
These are so clever and I love that they are so much healthier than having all the carb filled pasta as a roll up! I love zucchini and have a BUCKET load of it right now so Im going to make this ASAP!
What a great way to use up fresh zucchini from the garden! I have to make these for dinner!
Ohhh, yum! Such a healthy and delicious meal and love that you added some spinach in these lasagna roll ups! Thanks for the reminder to let the zucchini release as much liquid as possible.
I love how light these are. It s such a great idea to use zucchini instead of pasta. And it helps using all the zucchini I got from my garden.
All the flavors but so much healthier!!! I need to try this zucchini dish like asap!!
Looks absolutely amazing! And I don’t think I’d worry about freezing it here, I just don’t think it would last that long!
I have zucchini coming out my ears! THANK you for giving me such a great recipe to use some of it! Not only are these delicious looking — they are so pretty to look at, too!
Sound like great & looks absolutely stunning. Appreciate your thoughts. Keep this up. Enjoy your time.
I need to make this.
Just find your blog for first time! Love these tips, and love the firsts glimpses of the blog! I find it very inspiring! Hope to continue reading!
Why in the world are people leaving a review WITHOUT making it??? Did anyone make this or just look at it?
I made these tonight for dinner and they were delicious! I am a pretty experienced cook and it was a ton of work, but worth it. I think next time I will grill the zucchini to remove the water because that step is very important as they still were a little watery even though I thoroughly worked to get the water out and let them sit for over an hour. I liked the roll-up idea but I think it might be easier to lay the strips of zucchini out like a regular lasagna. I made my own marinara sauce with fresh basil and I used fresh spinach and fresh mozzarella cheese. That made these very fresh and tasty. It’s a great idea for those of us trying to watch carbs and still need an Italian “fix”.