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Zucchini Rolls with Vegan Ricotta Cheese

45 min

Snack

Appetizer

Side

This recipe proves that zucchini can be a fun alternative to noodles! These little roll-ups are not only cute, but nutritious and delicious as well!

Servings

Total

45 min

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Contains

Treenut symbol

tree nut

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Soy symbol

soy

Gluten symbol

gluten

Free from

Peanut symbol

peanut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Ingredients

Vegan cashew ricotta

  • ½ cup (65 g)
    raw cashews
  • 1
    clove garlic
  • ¼ cup (60 mL)
    unsweetened soy milk
  • ½ Tbsp (7 mL)
  • ½ tsp
    olive oil
  • ¼ tsp
    onion powder
  • 1 pinch
    salt
  • 1 pinch
    ground black pepper

Zucchini rolls

  • 1
    zucchini
  • 3½ cups (105 g)
    fresh spinach
  • 1⅔ cups (399 mL)
    passata sauce
  • 2
    cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 Tbsp (16 g)
    tomato paste
  • 1 tsp (1 g)
    dried oregano
  • 1 tsp (1 g)
  • ½ tsp
    curry powder (optional)
  • 1 pinch
    ground black pepper

Seasoned breadcrumbs

  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL)
    olive oil
  • ½ cup (40 g)
    panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp (2 g)
  • 1 tsp (2 g)
    paprika powder
  • ⅛ tsp
    salt

Optional garnish

  • fresh basil

Directions

  1. Soak the cashews in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften.
  2. Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini into long strips.
  3. Add the spinach to a large pan on medium-high heat, stirring for 1 - 2 minutes. When wilted, set aside.
  4. Drain the cashews and add them to a small food processor along with the remaining ricotta ingredients. Blend until smooth.
  5. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned breadcrumb ingredients. Stir frequently for 4 - 5 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). To a medium bowl, add the passata sauce, garlic, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, oregano, Italian spice, curry powder, and pepper. Mix.
  7. Layer about ½ of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 6 inch (23 cm x 15 cm) baking dish.
  8. Place 1 strip of zucchini on a plate and spread a thin layer of ricotta along the length.
  9. Place some wilted spinach on top, then roll it into a spiral. Place the rolls in the baking dish, and repeat with the remaining zucchini strips.
  10. Top the rolls with the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle the seasoned breadcrumbs over it all.
  11. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and the sauce is bubbling. Garnish, and enjoy!

Notes

  • Passata sauce is a 100% tomato-based, strained, puréed.

Storage

  • Store the rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • The ricotta alone can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Let us know what you think

Nutrition info

We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.

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Discussion & Rating

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Manuela Suciu - March 24, 2024, 2:20 p.m.

Insanely delicious! 🥵


Aneta - Jan. 21, 2024, 8:19 p.m.

OMG! That cashew ricotta! Good Lord! I can’t believe how tasty that is! Increasible! One of my favourite dishes!


Matt - Sept. 19, 2023, 8:42 p.m.

Tasty!


Andrée-Anne - July 31, 2023, 1:58 a.m.

Wow it was so tasteful! All the family loved it even if they don’t usually eat plant based food. 🙃
Thought we were 4 and i did put for 6 peoples to make sure to have enough, it was still not enough! But will do it again and again for sure!


Martunia - April 6, 2023, 2:09 p.m.

So, funny story. I had some friends over last night and decided to make these rolls. I used the scaling feature to make 8 servings so that there would be plenty for everyone. And to my disappointment, upon trying once ready, I didn't like them. I thought, oh no, I'll probably be stuck with an entire baking dish of uneaten rolls that I will be forcefeeding myself for a week!... Surprisingly enough, ALL of my guests requested seconds and they have polished their dishes! They all liked this and asked me for a link to your recipe. So, for that reason I'll be giving it 5 stars. Majority rules 😉

PUL Team - April 7, 2023, 9:06 p.m.

Hey Martunia, aw we're so happy the guests enjoyed the recipe! Much better than force-feeding 🙌😜


Judith - June 11, 2022, 11:06 p.m.

Hi there! I love this recipe for dinner parties, along with some side dishes. I've served it to my (non-vegan) friends twice now and it was a hit every time! Peeling the zucchini into strips is a challenge, but totally worth it and fun to make!
I used the leftover cashew ricotta and zucchini (shredded) in a tomato sauce with pasta and it turned out great as well!
Also: thank you for the ingredient conversions and handy checklist! Makes life easier!

PUL Team - June 15, 2022, 6:44 a.m.

Hey there, Judith! Awe you're too kind. This one is more of a labour of love but we're so happy it's worth It. Love the idea to use it on pasta too 😃


Eva Weller - Jan. 12, 2022, 12:16 a.m.

I love this recipe! How many individual rolls does it yield with 1 zucchini?

PUL Team - Jan. 12, 2022, 4:56 a.m.

Hi there, Eva, thanks for the question! It may vary depending on the size of the zucchini and how thick it's peeled, although ours tends to make about 8, plus or minus. We hope this helps for now and you enjoy the rolls if you're able to give them a try 🙂


Rudri - Oct. 6, 2021, 6:54 a.m.

These look so gooodd! I'm really keen on trying this recipe out, but I wanted to know if I could skip the tomato paste/use more sauce instead? I'm unable to get my hands on a smaller pack of the tomato paste, and as most meals that I cook at home involve using fresh tomatoes, I'm a bit apprehensive about buying a big pack of the paste. So could you please let me know a workaround? Thank you so much!

PUL Team - Oct. 6, 2021, 5:33 p.m.

Hey there, Rudri 😊 Thanks for the question. The tomato paste helps give the roll-ups a more concentrated tomato flavour. Feel free to omit it and add more tomato sauce or tomato puree to the sauce to taste if desired. We hope you enjoy the recipe!


Theresa - Aug. 17, 2021, 8:10 a.m.

These were so delicious! I made them as a main along with some pasta and a salad as we could not have asked for a yummier meal.


c - July 24, 2021, 6:37 p.m.

made these today and they turned out amazing, truly worth the effort! they had a complex taste and i loved them


Tiril - July 11, 2021, 2:10 p.m.

I love using the cashew ricotta as the white sauce in my vegan lasagne, and it works perfectly. I just add a bit more water to this recipe:)

PUL Team - July 16, 2021, 4:45 a.m.

So happy you're enjoying this one, Tiril, thank you for the review!