A delicious recipe for zucchini (courgette) rolls stuffed with spinach and ricotta. It’s a healthy vegetarian dish that will impress everyone! Not only they taste amazing, they also look awesome.
It’s not easy when you are trying to go off the beaten path when it comes to food and cooking. Everyone loves the classic cannelloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta. But maybe you would like to avoid the carbs and try something different and healthier.
Zucchini are one of my favourite vegetables. Probably they come second place after the summer eggplants you find in Souther Europe. They are tasty, can be crunchy and you can use them in so many ways when planning a meal.
This recipe is inspired by the Italian “Involtini”, which are basically stuffed rolls of eggplants or meat. Cheese lovers can modify it a bit by using more ricotta and adding pieces of their favourite yellow cheese in the mix. Yummy!
- 4 zucchini.
- 1 egg.
- 400 gr (14 oz) spinach (fresh or frozen).
- A handful of pine nuts.
- 200 gr (7 oz) ricotta cheese.
- 100 gr (3.5 oz) grated mozzarella.
- 1 fresh mozzarella ball.
- 4 ripe tomatoes.
- 3-4 garlic cloves.
- A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley.
- ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste.
- Salt and ground pepper.
- Use a Mandoline slicer and slice the zucchini lengthwise to create thin (but not too thin) pieces. Set aside.
- Chop the spinach and place it in a colander. Try to remove as much of its juices. Leave it to drain for some time.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, tomato paste and two tablespoons of olive oil in a blender. Create a smooth paste.
- Use a frying pan and toss the pine nuts on medium heat for ~ 1 minute until they start getting brown.
- In a large bowl, mix the spinach, pine nuts,egg and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (360 F). Use two slices of zucchini and place a tablespoon of the spinach mixture close to edge. Roll the zucchini and place them on a tray after you have spread some olive oil on its bottom.
- Add the rest of olive oil evenly on the tray. Pour in the tomato sauce from the blender. Chop the fresh mozzarella ball and place the pieces between the zucchini rolls. Top it with grated mozzarella.
- Cook for ~ 40 minutes.
- Serve them hot and...bon appetit!
