Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups
Little zucchini spirals filled with sausage and cheese make a very inviting dish of dinner. Marinara settles around the rolls, with melted mozzarella above. A forkful through one of the soft rolls catches that tangy sauce and creamy filling in a particularly satisfying way.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 13 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Salt the zucchini early
The zucchini needs its standing time before you roll it. Salting both sides and dabbing away moisture helps the strips behave better in the skillet instead of turning watery as they bake.
2. Use a slotted spoon
Move the sausage mixture to the bowl with a slotted spoon so extra fat stays behind in the skillet. The filling should be rich, not greasy, before the cheeses and egg go in.
3. Save some sauce and cheese for the top
Half the marinara goes under the rolls and the rest goes over them, with the remaining mozzarella on top. That keeps the zucchini nestled in sauce while giving the bake a proper cheesy finish.
Get to know the ingredients
Zucchini strips
Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin strips and keep them in a single layer while they sit with salt. They’ll be much easier to fill and roll once you’ve blotted off the extra moisture.
Italian sausage
Crumble the sausage as it browns so the filling spreads evenly along each zucchini strip. Big chunks make the roll ups harder to tuck neatly into the skillet.
Mozzarella
The mozzarella is divided, so don’t add all of it to the filling. Most goes into the sausage-cheese mixture, and the last portion is sprinkled over the sauced roll ups before baking.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 7 steps completeMake room for Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Once the roll ups are assembled, spoon over the remaining marinara, scatter on the last mozzarella, and bake until everything is hot and melted. Serve them warm, straight from that saucy skillet.
A little more help as you go
Keep the filling spreadable
A tablespoon of filling per strip is enough. Spread it along the zucchini instead of piling it in one spot, which makes the rolls easier to close and fit into the skillet.
Pepper goes in the filling
The zucchini gets salted at the start, but the filling is seasoned with freshly ground black pepper after the sausage, cheeses, egg, and basil are combined.
A few questions you might have
Do I rinse the salt off the zucchini?
No rinsing is called for here. After the zucchini sits, dab the strips with paper towels to remove the excess moisture before adding the filling.
Why does the sausage mixture get transferred with a slotted spoon?
It leaves extra fat behind in the skillet. That keeps the ricotta, egg, basil, Parmesan, and mozzarella mixture from becoming too oily.
Does the egg need to cook before it goes into the filling?
No. The egg is stirred into the cooked sausage mixture with the cheeses and basil, then the filled rolls bake in the oven.
What size pan should I use for the roll ups?
Use a 9-inch oven-proof skillet. Spread sauce on the bottom first, then place the rolled zucchini in it before adding the rest of the sauce and mozzarella.
Should the zucchini roll ups be covered while baking?
The directions don’t call for covering them. Bake the assembled skillet in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, then serve warm.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: deliciousmeetshealthy.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
