Zucchini Roll-Ups in Easy Bolognese Sauce

Written by on in Beef

This recipe is good if you would like to change things up! I couldn’t find almond milk ricotta, so I just used regular. It was not my favorite, so I recommend finding almond milk ricotta.

Ingredients:
MAKE THE QUICK BOLOGNESE:

  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup finely diced carrot (or 1 small carrot)
  • 3/4 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1/2 of a medium onion)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 [15 ounce] jar of marinara I like Rao’s brand
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free creamer I like NutPods Original DF Creamer (you can sub milk here if you are okay with Dairy)

MAKE THE ZUCCHINI ROLL-UPS:

  • 1 [8-ounce] carton almond milk ricotta
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • sprinkle of black pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely diced parsley
  • 2 yellow and/ or green zucchini squash
  • fresh basil for serving

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Make the Quick Bolognese: Heat a cast-iron skillet (or another oven-safe skillet) with oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion and garlic. 
  3. Cook, stirring, until onions are slightly tender; about 4 minutes.
  4. Once onions are softened, add the ground beef, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, dried thyme and dried oregano. Cook, breaking up meat with back of a spoon, until meat is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off excess fat and return to the skillet over medium heat.
  5. Add the marinara, water, bay leaf and dairy-free creamer to the skillet and stir to combine. Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, while you prepare the zucchini roll ups.
  6. Make the Roll-Ups: In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir until well combined, set aside.
  7. Trim the ends of the squash. Using a mandolin (or with a sharp knife), slice lengthwise into thin strips. (I used a mandolin on the 1/16 of an inch setting). Lay slices a single layer on a kitchen hand towel and continue until all are sliced thin.
  8. To assemble, slightly overlap two slices of the zucchini. Add one tablespoon of the ricotta mixture at on end then gently roll. Once rolled, nestle each zucchini roll-up seam side down into the simmering sauce. Continue until all are rolled and nestled. (You should end up with 12-14 roll-ups).
  9. If you have any remaining ricotta mixture, scatter some dollops on top of the roll-ups in the skillet.
  10. Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and cook, uncovered, until the zucchini is just tender, about 10 minutes. You want your zucchini to still have a slight bite to it, and not be soggy.
  11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil, serve and enjoy!

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The recipe is linked here: The Defined Dish Blog.