Zucchini Rollatini have tender thinly cut zucchini strips wrapped around a three cheese ricotta mixture and are then nestled on top of browned italian sausage and rich marinara sauce. They are then topped with even more cheese. This summer dinner is going to have you coming back for seconds.
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Rollatini is a traditional italian dish, generally made with eggplant. Instead of eggplant rollatini, zucchini is subbed in here, and the size works great for roll ups.
There's really nothing like a good baked italian casserole dish. Some of our family favorites are eggplant parmesan, stuffed shells and venison lasagna, and these zucchini roll-ups certainly top the list as well.
Zucchini is one of the veggies that I LOVE to eat. No forcing me to eat my veggies here, it is one that I want every bite of. And with the height of summer bringing more zucchini than many gardeners know what to do with, having another delicious baked zucchini dish is a must.
These lasagna zucchini rollatini are a family favorite recipe that is the perfect mix of healthy and delicious. They are incredibly filling as well, as they are stuffed with protein from loads of cheese and italian sausage!
Looking to try another version of lasagna? Check out this Lazy Lasagna Soup.
Salting your zucchini strips
In the past I have skipped this step, but I would advise you not to. Salting your zucchini strips takes a little extra time but it's an important step for two reasons.
- It helps remove some of the moisture from the zucchini so that when it bakes, the dish isn't overly watery.
- It helps to make the zucchini strips more pliable and easy to roll.
Other stuffed vegetable recipes to try
Ingredients
- medium sized zucchinis (or one very large zucchini)
- Jar of marinara sauce (I love Rao's)
- italian sausage (hot or mild)
- egg
- ricotta cheese
- mozzarella cheese
- parmesan cheese
- italian seasoning
- fresh garlic
- kosher salt
How to make zucchini roll-ups
Begin by thinly slicing and salting your zucchini strips. Trim off each end the zucchini and either using a very sharp knife or a mandolin, slice zucchini in long strips about ⅛ an inch thick.
Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle salt over each strip. Allow to sit for an hour. You will see beads of water form on the zucchini.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a skillet, brown italian sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. Once cooked through, add it to the bottom of your baking dish. Pour marinara sauce over top.
In a medium sized bowl, combine ingredients for ricotta filling, including ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, grated parmesan, egg, minced garlic, salt, and italian seasoning. Mix until completely incorporated.
Once the zucchini strips have released their water, gently wipe down with a clean paper towel to remove excess salt and water.
Place one zucchini slice on your work space and add a scoop of the ricotta mixture (around ¼ cup). Gently roll up and then place it into the baking dish nestled on top of the red sauce. Repeat the process until all of the zucchini slices and ricotta filling are used up.
Top with a bit of additional mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for approximately 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and enjoy!
How to serve zucchini rollatini
You can serve zucchini rollatini on their own (it's a full meal complete with your veggies), or you can add a bit of cooked pasta on the side or a basket of garlic bread. I like them with a crisp side salad!
Top with fresh basil for even more flavor.
Storage
Store any leftover lasagna roll ups in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
You sure can! Just like with stuffed shells or stuffed peppers, this makes a great meal to double and freeze a second pan for later. Zucchini roll ups are also a great option for gifting a meal to loved ones and it is naturally gluten free and low carb, if that is a concern. Simply complete all steps, up until baking. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. When you go to bake it, bake from frozen and add an additional 20 minutes to the cook time.
This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the italian sausage. Or, if your family doesn't like italian sausage, but you still want to add meat, plain ground beef or ground turkey would work great!
our favorite zucchini recipes
- rice stuffed zucchini casserole
- chicken veronese
- kung pao chicken
- crock pot chicken and rice with zucchini and tomatoes
- best ever banana zucchini chocolate chip muffins
Zucchini Rollatini
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium sized zucchinis or one very large zucchini
- 1 Jar of marinara sauce I love Rao's
- 1 lb. italian sausage hot or mild
- 1 egg
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 8 oz. mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. italian seasoning
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt plus more for salting zucchini
Instructions
- Begin by thinly slicing and salting your zucchini strips. Trim off each end the zucchini and either using a very sharp knife or a mandolin, slice zucchini in long strips about ⅛ an inch thick.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle salt over each strip. Allow to sit for an hour. You will see beads of water form on the zucchini.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a skillet, brown italian sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. Once cooked through, add it to the bottom of your baking dish. Pour marinara sauce over top.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine ingredients for ricotta filling, including ricotta cheese, ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, grated parmesan, egg, minced garlic, salt, and italian seasoning. Mix until completely incorporated.
- Once the zucchini strips have released their water, gently wipe down with a clean paper towel to remove excess salt and water.
- Place one zucchini slice on your work space and add a scoop of the ricotta mixture (around ¼ cup). Gently roll up and then place it into the baking dish nestled on top of the red sauce. Repeat the process until all of the zucchini slices and ricotta filling are used up.
- Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for approximately 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and enjoy!
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