This lightened up vegan zucchini rollatini is the perfect summer dish! Filled with veggies and plant-based protein, and made with the simplest creamy tofu ricotta.
Zucchini Rollatini
Zucchini rollatini is a delicious way to use up those summer zucchini. Traditionally, this dish is made with rolled eggplant, but the zucchini adds a fresh summer flavor to this dish that can’t be beat.
Serve it as a side dish with your favorite protein, or a lighter veggie-filled main dish. It’s bright, flavorful and always a crowd pleaser.
Tofu Ricotta
The zucchini is rolled with a creamy tofu ricotta that comes together in less than 5 minutes. It’s seasoned with nutritional yeast to give it a “cheesy” flavor, lemon juice, garlic, salt and a little olive oil.
It’s been a staple of mine for so many years, and can be enjoyed in so many different ways!
Ways to serve your tofu ricotta:
- Use it as a creamy base for pasta sauce for a dairy-free (and nut-free!) cream alternative
- Spread it over toast with honey, peaches and walnuts
- Stuff it into pasta shells and top it with your favorited jarred marinara and pesto!
How to prepare zucchini rollatini
This dish comes together in a few simple steps. Peeling and rolling the zucchini take a little extra patience, but is totally worth it!
1. Slice the zucchini
For thin strips, I like to slice my zucchini with a vegetable peeler, but you can also use a sharp knife. Once I reach the center, I turn the zucchini over and start peeling the other side. If any zucchini remains that can’t be sliced, I chop it up and store it in the fridge to later saute or stir-fry!
2. Prepare the tofu ricotta
For the ricotta, blend the tofu, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil and salt together until a creamy paste forms.
3. Roll the zucchini and layer it in the dish
Lay your zucchini onto a flat surface, and fill it with about 1 tbsp of tofu ricotta. Start rolling them up and layering them into a dish covered in marinara sauce.
4. Bake and enjoy!
Once all of your zucchini is rolled, bake for about 40 minutes and enjoy! You can top your dish with some shredded vegan cheese towards the end if desired.
This vegan zucchini rollatini is light, flavorful, and a delicious summer meal. It’s a great way to increase your veggie intake, and a dish the whole family will love- vegan or not!
I can’t wait to hear what you guys think 🙂
Other plant-based meals you may like:
Vegan Stuffed Shells
Buffalo Chickpea Wraps with Vegan Ranch
Crispy Walnut Lentil Tacos
Vegan Zucchini Rollatini
Ingredients
- 3 medium or 2 large zucchini
- 15 oz marinara sauce
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
Tofu Ricotta**
- 1 block firm tofu (14 oz), drained
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice your zucchini into strips lengthwise. Once you reach the center, turn the zucchini over and start peeling the other side. If you’re left with any remaining zucchini in the center that you can’t peel, you can chop it up and store it in a bag in the fridge or freezer for later use. If preferred, you can also use a sharp knife to cut the zucchini into thin strips.
- Layer the zucchini strips on a cutting board then lightly salt them to let them “sweat” and release moisture. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes, then pat them dry with a paper towel.
- For the tofu ricotta, add all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
- Layer a 9-10″ dish with about 1/3 of the marinara sauce.
- Lay your zucchini strips flat onto a cutting board, and scoop about 1 tbsp of the ricotta mixture onto the bottom of the strip. Roll the zucchini up and place it upright in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining zucchini. If you’re left with a little extra ricotta, you can spoon it on top of the dish after it’s finished baking.
- Top the dish with the remaining sauce and chopped basil. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes. If desired, you can add shredded cheese on top during the last 10 minutes of baking (regular or vegan cheese)
- Serve fresh with chopped basil! Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
OMG I just made this and added red pepper flakes, I”m in love and will make this a lot in the future, thank you!!!
made this and it was amazing! super light, but protein packed. serve it with chickpea pasta. i found the ricotta mixture oozed out of the rolled zucchinni– id recommend turning it into a lasagna dish next time, that is what I’m going to do!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Mike! I love turning it into lasagna as well- saves you some time too 🙂
I didn’t use all of the sauce on the top, maybe another 1/3 of the jar. Topped it with dairy free mozzarella in the last 15 minutes of baking! It was pretty good! Thanks for the recipe!