Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups
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Swap out the lasagna noodles for zucchini. It’s LOW CARB & so much healthier! You won’t miss the noodles at all!
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Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So when I made this for dinner one night, Ben said, “Oh, wow. This doesn’t suck.” I didn’t know what to make of that reaction. Then, about 3 minutes and 22 seconds later, he said, “Babe, I don’t know where this ranks in the things you’ve made but this definitely makes top 5.”
So that should basically summarize what this meal is all about.
We swap out the lasagna noodles for zucchini and roll them up in everything that is good in life – crumbled sausage, ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, which is then baked in a pool of marinara sauce.
With everything that’s happening here, you won’t even miss the lasagna noodles. I promise. Plus, it’s low-carb, it makes enough to feed an army, and it is DUDE-friendly.
tips and tricks for success
- Salt the zucchini. Because zucchini has a high water content (94% water), salting the zucchini beforehand will help draw out the excess water, making it firmer and avoiding mushy, limp zucchini.
- Use your favorite meat. Italian sausage, ground beef, chicken or turkey will all work well here.
- Make ahead of time. Lasagna is a great dish to make ahead of time. Prep and assemble overnight, covered with aluminum foil and stored in the fridge.
- Freeze before baking. This will preserve the texture and prevent sogginess. Always use a freezer-safe baking dish, label, date and freeze up to 2 months.
what to serve with zucchini lasagna roll ups
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups: Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini can vary so much in size but 3 large zucchini should be about 2 pounds.
Zucchini is very high in water and the salt will help draw out excess water.
Ground beef, chicken or turkey can be used instead of Italian sausage.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
You can use your favorite kind of marinara sauce but we personally love Rao’s.
You can assemble ahead of time and store in the refrigerator, up to 24 hours in advance, baking right before serving.
Yes! Let cool completely; cover the roll ups tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze up to 2 months. For the best results, we recommend assembling, freezing then baking to help prevent any sogginess. But if you’ve already baked your roll ups, no worries at all – it can still be frozen!
Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 3 large zucchini, trimmed and sliced lengthwise into 24 ⅛-inch-thick strips
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce, divided
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Lay zucchini slices flat in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt, to taste; let stand 15 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- In a medium bowl, combine sausage, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spread 1 cup marinara sauce sauce onto the bottom of a large cast iron skillet over; set aside.
- Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture evenly along each zucchini slice; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese. Roll up and place in the prepared skillet; repeat with remaining zucchini slices and filling. Top with remaining 1/2 cup marinara sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
- Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown.
- Serve immediately.
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Thank-you for this recipe. It is delicious. Great way to use zucchini and basil from the garden! I used fresh mozzarella and it was just wonderful. The mandolin works well to get uniform slices of zucchini. Will be making again.
Live this recipe! I would like to make a day ahead to save time. Is this suggested, or will it become too watery?
Since we are trying to eat less meat, I used bell pepper instead of sausage.
I minced the bell pepper into very small dice and seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme and crushed fennel seeds to give the filling the italian saussage flavour. I did *not* fry the bell pepper. I mixed the ricotta and parmesan and also mozzarella with the ball peppers (and accidentally forgot the egg )
The marinara: cooked passed tomatoes with pepper, salt, minced garlic and oregano for 30 minutes.
Rolled-up the zucchini with the raw ricotta-ball-pepper spread (obviously leaving out the dollop of grated mozzarella as that was already in the mix). Then went along as in recipe again: sauce, zucchini rolls, sauce, cheese, 30 mins in the oven.
What shall i say? It was divine! The bell pepper gave it a little crunch and the thyme and fennel gave it the Mediterranean sausage twist. We loved it. Thanks for this inspiration ❤️
These are delicious! I made them for our family (two small children) and it made a ton of food. They tase wonderful reheated as left overs as well. I used an adjustable cheese slicer which someone else had suggested and it worked well on small zucchini. They stayed together and had a very nice presentation. The only change I made was to use ground turkey (and I added seasonings to make it Italian sausage flavored).
Delicious, beautiful, easy to serve and lots of flexibility. We loved it! Larger homegrown zucchini and a mandolin gave nearly lasagne-size strips. Will definitely make again! Sausage too strong for us, so next time, we’ll probably omit or substitute mushroom. Rolls would be a great party dish, maybe sauce each zucchini strip before adding filling. Thanks so much for sharing!!
What a fantastic meal! I omitted the sausage and used chopped mushrooms instead. I have a mandolin that worked perfectly. I will definitely make this again.
I love this recipe! I found a mandolin too hard to use for the lengthwise cut, and a knife well, forget that if you want them thin. I used one of those cheese slicers with the handle and the thin wire. Works like magic and no cut fingers, nice thin slices when i used it at the smallest it could go.
Cheers and thank you for this recipe! My family loves it 🙂
I made this for family dinner with a vegetarian granddaughter. Omitted sausage, added chopped fresh mushrooms to the marinara. Otherwise no other changes except to adjust the size of the pan to better support the lasagna rolls. It was really delicious. Even better leftover. Agree a mandolin is a necessity to prepare this dish. This recipe is a keeper!
I just made this but used field roast brand veggie sausage and it was amazing. I will definitely be adding it to the rotation!
I love this dish! My whole family loved it! One question though my son in law is a vegetarian instead of sausage would you substitute mushrooms for the sausage. If you would how should i incorporate them in. Thank you for all your terrific recipes.
Hi
. Your recipe is so interesting for our family dinner tonight. So I just made it. I was completely follow your recipe. Taste was good. And not so much trouble either. But after baking this are finishing, these are totally I couldn’t see and recognizing zucchini roll shape at all…….Zucchini or Meat or Sauce or Cheese…everything quite mixed up on 10 inch skillet..Kind a I knew it is gonna happening ……Sorry, I don’t think I’m gonna make again .
The recipe calls for 24 rolls, 6 servings is 4 rolls per serving. Confused me too.
This looked so good I immediately hit the store for the ingredients. I substituted Italian chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s. Hand sliced the zucchini, (couldn’t find my mandolin) but for the uneven pieces used a toothpick to hold them closed. The aroma in the kitchen is making everyone hungry. Dinner was awesome. There was barely any leftovers. I’ll be making this dinner often!
One important detail that’s not mentioned but ABSOLUTELY should be – a mandoline is necessary to slice the zukes the proper width. Unless you’re a Samurai swordsman with Iron Chef knife skills the results will be less than desired.
Thank you so much for the great recipe! Made it last night for a girlfriends dinner and she immediately asked for the recipe. I did add Trader Joe’s roasted artichoke to the filling and it gave a nice little freshness.
The serving size is confusing… is the nutrition information and calories for 6 rolls, or are there 6 servings in each batch? Is is possible to list how many rolls are included in each serving? That would be more helpful.
The nutritional information is for a single serving. You would have to divide the full amount by 6 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
Can these be frozen after cooking?
Yes, absolutely!
I will definitely be trying these. Sadly I’m the only one in he house who likes zucchini. But that just means more for me. Hehe. I’m gonna make them with chicken. Can they be baked in a baking dish?
Of course!
Really easy and delicious. I did chop the sausage in a grinder to get a finer texture and then added cheeses, garlic. Can you confirm …361 calories for 1 or 6?
The nutritional information is for each serving.
These were fabulous. I made them last night and did not miss the noodles at all.
Sweet! Glad you liked it.