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
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
Equipment
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 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.
Does each side of each slice get 1/4 tsp of salt, or should I sprinkle 1/4 tsp over all of the slices laying together on one side?
It would be best to sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt over all of the slices laying together on one side.
Made this tonight and it was fabulous. My four-year-old loved it too! I added the sausage to the sauce so she could pick around it. I cut the zucchini on a mandoline, salted, waited and blotted before rolling the cheese (sans sausage) into it. For those who had trouble rolling, leaving the sausage out makes it less bulky. I used a 9”x13” pan and had quite bit of space left over. A 9”x9” pan would be a better fit. We are gluten-free so this was perfect and will become a dinner-time staple. Thanks a million!
Love this recipe. I cut my zucchini into fairly think strips then grilled on the bbq before assembling. Grilling extracts the water and gives it a light grilled flavor.
That’s great!
Delicious! I made this tonight, subbing 8 oz of crimini mushrooms for the sausage. Sauteed the mushrooms and diced them before adding to the cheese mixture and they were perfect. We used a homemade chunky marinara that really made a big impact. We will definitely be making this again – thanks!
What can I say. Another fantastic recipe.
My husband had a questioning look when I told him what I was making BUT that turned into a happy face when he tasted it!
Because it just the two of us I cut the recipe in half and cooked in a loaf pan which is good size for 12 rolls and still had leftovers.
Awesome!
Mmmmmm ! So good !! We just had these ! I just did a little bit of an easier shortcut……. Instead of the Italian sausage
and taking that apart , I used lean ground beef , then used Italian seasoning , fresh from the garden Basi and Oregano,
onions, garlic, s&p to taste . The Marinara Sauce from fresh garden tomatoes also the zucchini ….. delicious….. Thanks
again for an awesome recipe Chungah !!
Great modification! Thanks!
Mine wasn’t near as pretty, but quite tasty. I’ll have to work on presentation!
As long as it tasted good! 🙂
I made this today. Used my boyfriends leftover pasta sauce. Sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, etc. It was delish! I salted the zucchini then put another layer of paper towel over and rolled them with a rolling pin to get extra water out. I also added a little shredded Mozzarella cheese and rolled up my “noodles”. So good! Boyfriend loved, wants it again. Thank you.
That’s great!
Tonight I made the zucchini roll ups, and they turned out great! I didn’t have enough fresh basil, so I used a spoonful of pesto sauce, too. You’re right about this recipe being a hit with the boys! My husband couldn’t stop gushing over it. (Plus he said he wanted the rest for lunch tomorrow!) Thank you for flagging this as a low carb recipe. Please let me know if you have other low carb, damned delicious recipes, OK?
We have a whole category that you might enjoy https://nutrilifehub.info/category/healthy/%3C/a%3E 🙂
Made this for the first time a couple months ago now it’s on regular rotation – it’s so good! I stopped dealing with the long strips of zucchini and rolling them up – they’re pretty but annoying to slice and deal with. I just slice the zucchini crosswise into rounds, thinly on a mandoline, then layer the slices with the ricotta mixture and sauce, kind of like regular lasagna. My husband and I were both surprised by how similar to noodles the zucchini tastes.
That’s awesome, Ashley!
Hi Chungah,
We just wanted to say thank you for sharing this recipe. Tonight was the very first time me and my boyfriend Nate made this dish for us, and his mom for dinner. It was so delicious and it came out really good, that we shared the recipe with his mom. We will definitely make it again real soon.
Thank you so much, Michelle! That’s so awesome!
Hi. Unfortunately, I’m the only one in the family who likes tomato sauces and this recipe looks so good… Do you think I could use any other sauce and which?
Hi Lan! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hi….You could try like an Alfredo Sauce…. Very easy and the flavors would work well together… And….there
are no tomatoes in it if that is the problem ….or a plain white sauce with a bit of dill in it if you want ?? Both are very easy and you don’t need anything special to make them…. Good Luck !!
Ragu has a couple of new alfredo type sauces made with milk and cauliflower that are weight watcher friendly. I may try one of them next.
Has anyone tried layering this in a pan like a traditional lasagna instead of making individual rolls? I’m wondering if the zucchini would cook through without releasing too much liquid because of the pre-salt, or would it end up being watery?
I tried layering it and it worked really well. Still salt the zucchini to get the extra moisture out. It wasn’t too watery and tasted amazing. I did cut my slices a bit thicker.
Has anyone tried this w a creamy alfredo sauce.
Tomatoes hurt my arthritis cause they are part of the nightshade family
Would this work in a slow cooker? If yes what timing would be good?
Hi Moira! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.