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zucchini lasagna roll ups in a white baking pan with shredded cheese
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Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups with Beef

Zucchini has a reputation for making casseroles watery, and I refuse to let it ruin a perfectly good pan of lasagna, honey. These zucchini lasagna roll ups are packed with seasoned meat, plenty of cheese, and a rich tomato sauce, but the zucchini is prepped so it actually holds up in the oven. I’ve spent more than a decade developing approachable recipes, and this is the kind of swap that has to taste good on its own. You still get the cheesy, saucy comfort of lasagna in every bite.
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword zucchini lasagna roll ups, zucchini lasagna roll ups with meat, Zucchini Lasagna Rolls, Zucchini Roll Ups
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
sweat out moisture in zucchini 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 7 servings
Calories 340kcal
Author Brandi Crawford

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds zucchini (about 3-4 zucchini)
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning 1 teaspoon for the ground beef and 1 teaspoon for the ricotta mixture
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 garlic cloves Minced
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 oz cream cheese
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
  • 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove Excess Water From the Zucchini

  • Use a mandolin and slice the zucchini into thick strips, about a ⅛th of an inch thick. Place the zucchini horizontal on the mandolin to slice.
  • Place the zucchini strips on paper towels or cheese cloth. Sprinkle kosher salt throughout. Allow the zucchini to stand for 30 minutes and sweat out excess moisture. After 30 minutes, squeeze the zucchini to remove excess water.

Ground Beef

  • Place a skillet on medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and ground beef to the skillet.
  • Season the beef with 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Break down the ground beef into small chunks. I like to use this meat chopper.
  • When the ground beef is no longer pink, add the garlic and stir.
  • Remove the skillet from heat and drain any excess fat.
  • Add 1 cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Spread throughout.

Lasagna Filling

  • Place the beaten egg, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, parmesan reggiano, basil, 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Add in the ground beef mixture and stir.
  • Spread the ricotta and ground beef mixture onto each of the zucchini slices. Place the mixture at the bottom of each zucchini strip. Focusing on the bottom will make them easier to roll. Then roll them up and place them in the baking dish.
  • Spread the remaining ½ cup of marinara over the roll-ups and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese bubbles.

Video

Notes

  1. Makes 26-30 total zucchini rolls.
  2. If you find the zucchini is hard to roll you can pan sear them for a few minutes or grill them first, to get them to soften up. I found it was easy to roll them without first cooking them. 
  3. While rolling the zucchini, some of the filling may ooze the sides, I pushed this back inside and continued to mold the roll-up. You can secure the roll ups with toothpicks if you wish.
  4. Zucchini is a vegetable filled with lots of water. It's impossible to remove all of the water from the veggie. Allowing it to sweat out moisture using salt, and sitting for 30 minutes will help a ton.
  5. You can substitute or omit the ricotta cheese with anything you choose if you wish.

Nutrition

Serving: 4rolls | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 23g