Zucchini Involtini
This zucchini involtini recipe is the perfect way to celebrate in-season zucchini. Stuffed with herbed ricotta, it’s a vegetarian and gluten-free dinner dream.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Zucchini/Courgette.
- Olive oil.
- Ricotta cheese. I used creamy ricotta. Ricotta salata can also work but you might need to add a dollop of sour cream or cream cheese to add creaminess.
- Mozzarella.
- Parmesan cheese.
- Fresh basil. Other fresh herbs like parsley or chives can be used too.
- Dried oregano.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Salt and black pepper.
- Tomato sauce. I used my roasted tomato sauce recipe but you can use any tomato or marinara sauce of your choice.
How to make zucchini involtini
- Cook the zucchini: Slice the zucchini then roast for 10 minutes in a hot oven until the zucchini has softened. Remove from the oven and pat dry with paper towels.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, grated mozzarella cheese, Parmesan, herbs, garlic and lemon. Season with salt and pepper.
- Assemble and bake: Place a zucchini slice on a chopping board in front of you then add a spoonful of the ricotta mixture and roll into a tight roll. Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and add the zucchini involtini on top of the tomato sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese then bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Can I make this ahead?
The dish can be assembled up to a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge before baking. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven or microwave until hot throughout.
Serving Suggestions
Involtini is a great vegetarian main dish and can be served on its own but if you wanted a more complete meal, adding a loaf of crusty bread or a side salad to keep it low carb is a great idea. It also makes a great side dish to protein and will be delicious served with chicken, pork or steak.
Servings: 4
Calories: 154kcal
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2lb) zucchini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tsp salt
For the filling
- 250 g (1 cup) smooth ricotta cheese
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 4 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup grated mozzarella chese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the tomato sauce
- 3 cups tomato sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
- Slice the zucchini into thin slices using a sharp knife or mandolin. You want the slices to be thin so that they are easy to roll around the ricotta filling.
- Place in a large baking sheet in a single layer then drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
- Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes in a hot oven until the zucchini has softened.
- Remove from the oven and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- To make the filling, stir together the ricotta, grated mozzarella cheese, Parmesan, herbs, garlic and lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place a slice of zucchini on a chopping board in front of you then add a one to two teaspoons of filling and roll into a tight coil/ roll. If your zucchini slices are thin, use two slices, overlapping, per involtini.
- Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and add the zucchini involtini, seam-side down.
- Top with mozzarella cheese then cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 1327mg | Potassium: 746mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 634IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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I don’t see anything in the recipe about tomato sauce. What did you use and how much?
I’ve added a clickable link to the recipe for the tomato sauce recipe.
This is soooo delish!! I could only get really small zucchini’s so I didn’t roll the cheese mixture in them, rather layered it like a lasagna but it still turned out GREAT!! will definitely make it again!