Italian Zucchini Roll Ups

Hearty and delicious, Zucchini Roll Ups is a kid-friendly, crowd pleasing Italian casserole. Save time by meal prepping this dinner recipe!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 3 medium zucchini
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (optional)
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
• 2 ounces pepperoni (thinly sliced)
• 5 leaves fresh basil (finely chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or more/less, to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more/less, to taste)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 400℉.
2. 2Meanwhile, add the sausage to a skillet and cook it over medium heat, breaking the meat apart as it cooks. After cooking, set it aside to cool. Optionally, drain any excess grease.
3. 3Using a mandoline or sharp knife, carefully slice the zucchini into long, thin planks. The first few slices may be too narrow to roll up, so set those aside to use later. When you reach the seedy part of the zucchini, flip it over and slice from the opposite side.
4. 4Optional Step: Sweat excess moisture from the zucchini by sprinkling the slices generously with salt, then toss together so they’re coated evenly. Let them sit untouched in a bowl for about 15 minutes. Then, rinse the salt off and pat each piece dry with a paper towel.
5. 5Next, arrange three slices of zucchini side by side on a plate, partially overlapping the edges. If you're use ricotta, spread about a tablespoon of ricotta onto each slice of zucchini. Spoon about 1/4 cup of cooked sausage across one end of the slices. Using your hands, carefully roll up the slices, starting from the sausage end and working your way to the other end. If any pieces of sausage slip out while you’re rolling, tuck and press them back in the sides with your hands. Repeat the rolling process until you've used up all the sausage and zucchini.
6. 6Pour ¾ cup of the sauce into a baking dish and use a spoon to spread it evenly across the bottom. Use a spatula to transfer the rolls on top of the sauce, setting them with the end side down. Drizzle the tops of the rolls with the remaining sauce, then layer the cheese and pepperoni on top. Set the dish in the preheated oven and cook uncovered for 20-22 minutes.
7. 7When the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is gooey and melted, remove the casserole from the oven. Garnish the top with chopped basil and season with salt and pepper.Wait about 5 minutes for it to cool, then serve!