This zucchini roll ups recipe features a decadent ricotta filling, tomato sauce, and a more than generous amount of melted cheese. Low-carb but highly satisfying!
Skip out on traditional lasagna noodles and make low-carb, gluten-free, & keto-friendly zucchini lasagna roll ups recipe instead. Best described as a guilt-free version of lasagna, this dish is super easy to make and calls for simple, wholesome ingredients. What better way to tame that pesky pasta craving?
How to Make Low-Carb Zucchini Roll Ups
Making these trendy zucchini rolls ups requires a little bit of technique and a quick bake in the oven.
- Make the Ricotta Mixture: In a medium bowl, stir the ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, garlic parsley salt, and fresh garlic together.
- Slice & Roll the Zucchini: Slice the zucchini into long, thin strips. Spread half of the sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. Next, spread the ricotta mixture onto the zucchini slices and roll them up.
- Assemble the Roll Ups: Place the rolls ups side by side next to one another in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce and sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the Roll Ups: Bake the rolls ups at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden on top. Enjoy!
Homemade Marinara: If you’re up to it, whip up a quick 5-minute homemade marinara sauce and skip the jarred stuff.
Helpful Tips & Tricks
Just a few pointers will help you knock these low-carb zucchini lasagna rolls out of the park.
- Slice your zucchini as thin as possible. You want the slices to be malleable so you can roll them up easily. Consider using a mandolin slicer to get those long, thin strips.
- Don’t skimp on the quality of your cheese. High-quality cheeses have much more flavor. Grate your parmesan and mozzarella fresh! Pre-shredded varieties tend to be dryer and less tasty.
- Place zucchini rolls tightly against one another. Assembling the zucchini rolls flesh against one another will prevent them from fall apart during baking.
More Fillings & Variations to Try
This recipe is extremely versatile, which is awesome for all you keto folks out there who need variety to survive life without carbs. Find some inspiration here…
- Meat Sauce: Add in some ground turkey, pork, beef, or Italian sausage to your marinara sauce for extra protein.
- Cheese Sauce: Swap out the marinara sauce for alfredo sauce (5 Minutes) to make a creamier dish.
- Zucchini Roll-Ups with Chicken: Up the protein content in this dish by rolling up some shredded chicken inside the zucchini. In a rush? Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Mushroom Sauce: Sauté some mushrooms in butter, salt and pepper and a clove of fresh garlic. Add the cooked mushrooms into either alfredo or marinara sauce.
- Pesto-Topped: Once the lasagna comes out of the oven, top it with some spoonfuls of pesto (store bought or homemade) to add a pop of color and an herby flavor.
Ideas for Serving Your Zucchini Roll Ups
For a complete meal, serve the zucchini roll ups with a side of your favorite protein to keep it low-carb. Cast iron ribeye or air fryer pork chops immediately come to mind. If you want to keep it vegetarian, serve the roll ups with a homemade caesar salad or an arugula caprese salad.
Storage & Reheating Tips
To keep the zucchini roll ups on hand for up to 3 days, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep the cheese from drying out and the zucchini from turning soggy faster. To reheat, place the roll ups back in the oven covered with foil until the cheese is melty.
FAQ
Should you freeze zucchini roll ups before or after you bake them?
For best results, you should freeze zucchini rolls ups after you bake them versus before you bake them. Also, you should allow them to cool down completely before popping them in the freezer.
Can you make zucchini roll ups ahead of time?
If you want to make Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups ahead of time, go for it! However, don’t bake the dish until you are ready to eat it. You want the cheese to be gooey and fresh, not stale and rubbery. Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups can be pre-assembled and stored in the refrigerator 24-hours in advance of baking.
Can you make zucchini lasagna instead of zucchini roll ups?
Yes! Instead of rolling the zucchini slices, you can lay them flat to mimic lasagna noodles. If you are going to go this route, keep the zucchini slices just a touch thicker than you would if you were making roll ups.
Other Delicious Zucchini Recipes
- Best Zucchini Ravioli Recipe – Red sauce and ricotta low-carb ravioli
- Vegetable Zucchini Spread (aka Ikra) – Slavic eggplant spread
- Cheesy Zucchini Breadsticks – Low-carb bread-less breadsticks
- Cheesy Zucchini and Squash Casserole – Beautiful veggie and cheese bake
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 zucchinis
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 16 oz mozzarella cheese grated
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp garlic parsley salt
- 1/4 bunch fresh basil leaves
- 16 oz pasta sauce
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients for the recipe.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, parmesan, basil, garlic parsley salt, and fresh garlic.
- Slice the zucchini into long strips. Spread half of the sauce on the bottom of the baking pan. Spread the cheese mixture onto the zucchini strips and roll them up into a spiral.
- Assemble the rolls ups in the baking dish side by side.
- Top the rolls off with the rest of the sauce and the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the rolls ups at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden on top.
I love this recipe, but I add a little diced onion and Italian sausage (pre-cooked) to the sauce. I use Rao’s low sugar sauce. Also, I use a little salt to sweat the Zucchini to get the water out. (After you cut it, sprinkle a little salt on it and allow it to sweat the water out for approx 15/20 minutes.) Further, the sauce mixture needed salt and pepper as does the cheese mix. Otherwise, this recipe is amazing. Also, after 20 minutes of baking, I broil for 3-4 minutes to get a little brown going on top of the cheese. You will not be disappointed if you try this recipe. Absolutely, a great lasagna alternative and easy.
Karen- I love that you left such detailed feedback. It will indeed be so helpful for the next reader! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try 😀
I made this for dinner the other day and it was amazing! We love that it's healthy and delicious - guilt-free!
So glad ya'll enjoyed it, Natasha. 🙂
This was delicious and a really fun way to eat zucchini!
Thanks, April! Glad you enjoyed this low-carb lasagna! 🙂
I love zucchini roll ups!! I don't feel so sick after eating them, like I do with pasta! They have the same great flavor!
Glad to hear that, Kristyn!
Can this be frozen at all? Before or after baking?
Hey Lisa, I would recommend freezing after.
Was soooo delicious! Will definitely make again!
Alison, thank you so much for letting me know. I bet this was a great lighter mean to have after Thanksgiving 😉
Looks yummy. Would it work if i added some meat? Beef? Deli meat?
Hey Ksusha, I did add some tips on adding meats in recipe description. You can definitely add meats to it.
I have a question about the amount of mozzarella. I made the dish and used the 16 oz. block of mozzarella. Your photos don't seem to be as much. Is this amount correct. Next time, I will decrease the mozzarella to 6-8 oz. or so because it was way too much. Total fat in the dish was 40g! It was delicious, though.
We like to be generous with cheese but it can be easily adjusted to your own liking. I love the cheesy veggies in this dish!
Looks pretty, I'm sure taste won't disappoint and the dish is everything i love! Thanks, Natalya, for a great meatless recipe.
Yes, its pretty darn yummy 🙂 Are you not eating meat?
I do once in a while, but mostly separately, in a form of steak or shashlik. If i cook with meat it goes to garbage, don't even know what's wrong with us lately.
Oh wow. Tim and I love meat dishes. We do like zucchini a lot too 🙂 Its like a staple ingredient at home.