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My Three Cheese Zucchini Rollatini takes thin ribbons of fresh zucchini, wraps them around a creamy filling of ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, and lemon zest, then bakes them in marinara under thick slices of melting mozzarella. If you've been hunting for a low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian dinner that eats like lasagna, this is the one. No noodles, no boiling, and only 30 minutes of prep!
Zucchini Rollatini with Spinach Ricotta Filling and Marinara
My mother-in-law grows zucchini in her garden, and every August we come home from her place loaded down with a loaf of the best zucchini bread I've ever eaten, plus an armful of fresh zucchini. Two, three, sometimes five at a time, still warm from the sun.
I've turned her zucchini into many weeknight dinner recipes like Parmesan and garlic zucchini pasta, gluten-free chicken zucchini bake with bacon, and Thai zucchini noodles! But this Zucchini Rollatini has become an unexpected new family favorite.
The zucchini becomes the pasta, and the end result is a low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian dinner that eats like lasagna. It's rich, savory, and the mozzarella browns just like it does on a classic lasagna. You slice the zucchini into long ribbons, salt them briefly, roll them around a garlicky ricotta filling, and nestle them into marinara.
If you've made my stuffed pasta recipes like spinach and ricotta stuffed shells or my stuffed manicotti with ricotta and spinach, the filling will feel like an old friend, just wrapped in vegetables instead of pasta.
Ingredient Notes
- Choose medium zucchini for easy rolling. Too large and the seeds can make the strips watery and weak; too small and you won't get enough width for sturdy roll-ups.
- Jarred or homemade marinara both work. Use your favorite store-bought sauce to save time, or make a simple batch from scratch if you have extra time.
- Use frozen spinach for ease. Just thaw, wring out all excess moisture in a kitchen towel, and chop. It's quicker than cooking fresh spinach down.
- Customize your cheese mix. Goat cheese or Boursin can be swapped in for some of the ricotta for a tangier, more flavorful filling.
How to Make Zucchini Rollatini - Step-by-Step
Here's the quick overview. The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Slice and salt the zucchini. Cut it lengthwise into ⅛-inch ribbons, lay them on a towel, salt lightly, and let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Mix the filling. Stir ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, lemon zest, egg, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper together until smooth.
- Blot the ribbons dry. Don't skip this - it's what keeps the pan from flooding.
- Sauce the pan. Spread about 1 cup of marinara across the bottom of the baking dish.
- Roll. Overlap two ribbons into a wider strip, spread on about 2 tablespoons of filling, roll snugly, and set seam-side down in the sauce. Repeat to make 12 rolls.
- Top and bake. Spoon the rest of the sauce around the rolls, cover with thick mozzarella slices, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and browned.
- Rest 5-10 minutes, then scatter with fresh herbs and Parmesan and bring it to the table.
How to Slice Zucchini Into Ribbons
- A mandoline is the easiest route. Set it to about ⅛ inch, trim both ends of the zucchini, and slice lengthwise. You want ribbons thin enough to roll without cracking but sturdy enough to hold filling.
- You can use a vegetable peeler, BUT! It makes ribbons that are too thin, and they might tear when you roll them.
- The first and last slices from each zucchini are mostly skin. I save those for a salad or chop them into the filling rather than tossing them.
Tips for Success
- Salt and blot thoroughly. Don't skip the 10-minute salting and drying step. Removing moisture is key to avoiding a watery bake and ensuring the rollatini hold their shape.
- Overlap small zucchini strips. If your zucchini are on the smaller side, slightly overlap two slices lengthwise to make a wider strip before filling-as shown in the photo below. With large, late-season zucchini, you likely won't need to double up.
- Don't stress if you forget to salt. If you skip salting, your finished dish might have extra liquid pooling over the sauce. Once cooled, simply stir it back into the marinara. You can also return the dish to a lower oven to evaporate the moisture (just watch the cheese), or gently dab up any excess with paper towels.
- Be generous with the filling. You'll need more than you think-underfilled rolls can look puny once they bake down. Don't be afraid to load them up.
- Bake fresh, reheat later. This dish is best assembled and baked right away, but leftovers reheat beautifully in the oven until hot and bubbly again.
- Double the batch in a 9×13. Feeding a crowd? This recipe scales easily. Just use a larger dish and adjust the sauce and cheese as needed.
Variations
- Add meat. Brown ½ pound of Italian sausage and stir it into the marinara before assembling. If you like that combination, you'll also like my Italian sausage pasta with vegetables.
- Swap the greens. Chopped cooked kale or Swiss chard both work in place of spinach. Squeeze them just as dry.
- Make it eggless. Leave out the egg and add 2 extra tablespoons of Parmesan. The filling will be a little softer, but it holds fine.
- Add nuts. A tablespoon of toasted pine nuts in the filling adds a nutty crunch, the way it does in my Parmesan zucchini and spaghetti squash with pine nuts.
What to Serve With Zucchini Rollatini
- Bread for the marinara. I recommend my homemade garlic bread, but soft garlic butter dinner rolls are even better for mopping up the dish. If you want something with a little more going on, my spinach ricotta flatbread uses the same cheeses as the filling.
- A fresh salad to cut through all that cheese. My tomato cucumber avocado salad with basil pesto is my summer favorite. For something sweet-tangy alongside the marinara, go with my reader-favorite 15-minute strawberry spinach salad with feta and toasted pecans.
- A protein on the side if you're feeding big appetites. Make my stuffed chicken thighs - they use a very similar ricotta-spinach filling.
- A pasta dish for a bigger Italian-style spread. My Italian sausage pasta comes together in 30 minutes and doesn't compete with the rollatini.
More Zucchini Recipes
Baked Zucchini Rollatini with Spinach, Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella
Thin ribbons of zucchini rolled around a creamy three-cheese filling with spinach, lemon zest, and fresh herbs, tucked into marinara and baked under thick slices of melting mozzarella. This zucchini rollatini is a low-carb, gluten-free dinner that tastes like lasagna. No noodles, no breading, no frying required.
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini or 4 small
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup cooked and chopped spinach see note
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium lemon and lemon zest
- 1 large egg
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or basil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- 6 ounces low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese sliced about ¼ inch thick
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- grated Parmesan for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F with the rack in the middle position.
- Trim the ends and slice zucchini lengthwise into ribbons about ⅛-inch thick using a mandoline or sharp knife. You should have about 24 slices total. Place the ribbons on a clean kitchen towel, sprinkle lightly with salt, and let them sit for 10 minutes to release moisture.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, lemon zest, egg, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir until well blended.
- Blot the zucchini ribbons with a towel to remove any moisture-this helps the rolls hold their shape and keeps excess liquid out of the pan.
- Spoon about 1 cup of marinara into the bottom of an 8×10-inch or 9×9-inch oven-safe baking dish.
- Working with two slices at a time, overlap them lengthwise to create a wider strip. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling across one end of each double zucchini strip, then roll it up snugly and place it seam-side down into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining zucchini slices to form 12 rollatini.
- Spoon the remaining sauce on and around the rolls.
- Top the dish with thick slices of mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browning at the edges and the sauce is bubbling. For more browning, broil for 1-2 minutes at the end.
- Let the dish rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Scatter fresh herbs and grated Parmesan over the top just before bringing it to the table.
Notes
- Spinach: You'll need about ⅓ cup cooked, which is roughly 5 ounces of fresh spinach wilted in a pan, or about half a 10-ounce box of frozen spinach, thawed. Squeeze it very dry in a kitchen towel before adding it to the filling.
- Zucchini: Choose straight, firm, medium zucchini. Oversized squash is seedy and watery in the center and won't produce clean ribbons.
- Mozzarella: Low-moisture mozzarella sliced thick gives the best melt and browning. If using fresh mozzarella, pat it very dry first.
- Ricotta. Whole-milk ricotta gives the creamiest, most stable filling. If yours looks watery in the container, drain it in a fine-mesh sieve for 15 minutes first.
- Seam-side down, always. Gravity does the sealing for you.
- Don't crowd the pan. An 8x10 or 9x9-inch dish fits 12 rolls snugly without squishing them. If your rolls are touching but not compressed, you've got it right.
- Broil for the last minute or two if you want those dark, blistered edges on the mozzarella. Watch it closely - it goes from golden to gone fast.
FAQ (You Ask, I Answer)
- My rolls fell apart. What happened? Usually one of three things: the ribbons were sliced too thick, the zucchini wasn't blotted dry, or the rolls went in seam-side up. All three are easy fixes next time.
- Why is my dish watery? Almost always one of three things: the zucchini wasn't salted and blotted, the spinach wasn't squeezed dry, or you used fresh mozzarella without patting it down. Fix those and the pan comes out saucy, not soupy.
- Can I use yellow summer squash? Absolutely. Yellow squash is slightly softer and a touch sweeter, so handle the ribbons gently. A pan of half green, half yellow rolls is gorgeous.
- Can I prep this as a casserole instead of rolls? You can. Layer the zucchini ribbons, filling, and sauce like a lasagna in the same dish and bake for the same amount of time. Less pretty, faster to assemble, just as good.
- How many rollatini does this make? Twelve rolls, which serve 4 people at 3 rolls each as a main course, or 6 people as a side.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Freezer: Freeze before baking, not after. Assemble, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 45-50 minutes, covered for the first 30.
- Make ahead: Assemble up to 8 hours in advance, cover, and refrigerate. Add 5-10 minutes to the bake time if baking from cold.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Baked Zucchini Rollatini with Spinach, Ricotta, Parmesan, and Mozzarella
Amount per Serving
Calories
345
% Daily Value*
Fat
22
g
34
%
Saturated Fat
12
g
75
%
Trans Fat
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
111
mg
37
%
Sodium
1220
mg
53
%
Potassium
864
mg
25
%
Carbohydrates
17
g
6
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
9
g
10
%
Protein
24
g
48
%
Vitamin A
1709
IU
34
%
Vitamin C
49
mg
59
%
Calcium
535
mg
54
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
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