This simple, lighter take on a classic skips the frying and instead highlights the taste of zucchini. It's also suitable for a gluten free diet and can easily be made to be dairy free by swapping the ricotta and mozzarella for non-dairy alternatives. The flavors will taste like you've been cooking for hours, but this dish can actually be made with just ~45 minutes of cooking time! For a quicker meal, I like to rely on a good quality jarred tomato sauce, such as Rao's Homemade, but if I have the time (or any left in my freezer), I love using my homemade tomato sauce recipe! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do in our house!
Ingredients (yields ~12 rollatini, serves 4):
3 medium zucchini
3 Tbsp oil (I like to use avocado oil)
10 oz ricotta cheese (part skim or whole milk, depending on your preference)
1 1/2 C tomato sauce (you can use a jarred sauce or a homemade sauce!)
3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese (part skim or whole milk, depending on your preference)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Nonstick cooking oil
*If choosing a jarred sauce, I recommend choosing one that does not contain added sugar. Also, depending on which sauce you use, you may not need as much salt as some sauce can contain large amounts of sodium.
Directions:
1. Wash zucchini and pat dry with paper towel. Slice zucchini into fourths and add dash of salt (not the entire 1/4 tsp). Let zucchini sit for at ~5-10 minutes - this will draw out the water and the prevent the final dish from being watery.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Warm oil in griddle over medium heat (You can also use a pan if you do not have a griddle. Alternatively, you can purchase the one that I use and love from Amazon by clicking here! )
4. Pat zucchini dry with paper towel (you will see it will look like it is sweating) and add to griddle. Add spices. Cook zucchini for approximately 10 minutes, then use tongs to turn zucchini and cook for an additional ~5-6 minutes, until browned and tender. Once both sides are cooked, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. Please note: you will likely have to do this in a few steps, unless you have multiple griddles. I cooked 3 rounds of zucchini. Divide the spices by thirds or estimate for each round.
5. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Spoon ~2 spoonfuls of ricotta cheese onto one half of each zucchini and pull the remaining end over, press down slightly with your fingers and make sure zucchini remains folded over when you remove your fingers. It is best to do one zucchini rollatini at one time, transfer to casserole dish and then begin with the next rollatini. Continue doing this until all rollatini are in the casserole dish, lined 3 by 4.
7. Drizzle sauce on top of each rollatini. Top with mozzarella cheese. and bake in oven for approximately 10-15 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted. Enjoy!
This makes for great leftovers! Just store in an airtight container and consume within 3 days.
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving (1 serving = 3 rollatini)
Calories 297 calories, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 40 mg, Carbohydrates 17 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 16 g, Sodium 705 mg, Calcium 336 mg
*This post contains an affiliate link, meaning I will make a commission if a purchase is made by clicking that link. I do not promote products on my website that I do not genuinely love.
*Please Note: This dish is free from gluten-containing ingredients, however, if you need to avoid all potential sources of cross contamination (such as in the case of celiac disease), I recommend using certified gluten free products.
#easyrecipe #zucchinirecipe #zucchinirollatini #zucchinirollatinirecipe #glutenfreerecipe #glutenfree #vegetarianrecipe #vegetarian #lowcarbrecipe #lowcarb #simpledinner #dietitianrecipe #dietitianblog #easyitalianstylerecipe #italianrecipe