Description
Zucchini Rollatini is a delicious low-carb Italian-inspired casserole featuring thinly sliced zucchini filled with a savory mixture of ricotta cheese, Italian sausage, fresh herbs, and cheeses, baked in marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella. This recipe is perfect for a comforting dinner that is both flavorful and lighter than traditional pasta rollatini.
Ingredients
Scale
Zucchini
- 3 small/medium zucchini, sliced into 28 very thin slices
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage, ground
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Topping & Assembly
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- About 1 cup marinara sauce (for layering and topping)
- Cooking spray for greasing pan
- Salt for salting zucchini slices
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F to prepare for baking the zucchini and assembled rollatini.
- Prepare Zucchini Slices: Using a mandoline slicer or sharp knife, slice the zucchini into 28 very thin strips that are pliable. Lay them out on paper towels, sprinkle salt over the slices, and then cover with another layer of paper towels. Let them sit for 20 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
- Dry Zucchini: After 20 minutes, pat the zucchini slices dry with fresh paper towels to remove moisture. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. This helps further reduce moisture so your sauce won’t become watery.
- Cook Italian Sausage: In a small frying pan, brown the ground Italian sausage over medium heat until fully cooked. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Pat the cooked sausage dry if needed to remove excess fat.
- Make Filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled cooked sausage, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, chopped basil, chopped parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. Stir until well incorporated.
- Fill Zucchini Slices: Once the zucchini slices are cool enough to handle, pat again to ensure dryness. Place a spoonful of the filling in the center of each slice and spread it evenly, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Assemble Rollatini: Lightly grease a casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread about half of the marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of the dish. Carefully roll up each filled zucchini slice and place them seam side down in the casserole. Repeat with remaining slices.
- Add Sauce and Cheese: Pour the remaining marinara sauce evenly over the top of the zucchini roll-ups. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the top evenly.
- Bake: Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 23 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown on top.
- Serve: Let the rollatini cool slightly before serving. Each serving typically consists of 3-4 roll-ups depending on zucchini size.
Notes
- Serving size is approximately 3-4 roll-ups. The recipe yields 28 roll-ups total.
- If you prefer, substitute Italian sausage with ground beef sautéed with minced garlic or omit meat entirely and increase ricotta for a vegetarian option.
- Be sure to salt and dry the zucchini slices well to avoid a watery casserole.
- Use a mandoline slicer for evenly thin zucchini slices that are easy to roll.
- You can prepare the filling ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Fresh herbs like basil and parsley enhance the flavors but dried versions can be used if fresh are unavailable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll-up (approx.)
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
