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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
    garlic clove
  • ¼ cup (60 mL)
    unsweetened soy milk
  • ½ Tbsp (7 mL)
    apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp (1 g)
    nutritional yeast flakes
  • 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
    garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 Tbsp (16 g)
    tomato paste
  • 2 tsp (2 g)
    nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tsp (1 g)
    dried oregano
  • 1 tsp (1 g)
    Italian spice mix
  • 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)
    Italian spice mix
  • 1 tsp (2 g)
    paprika powder
  • ⅛ tsp
    salt

Optional garnish

  • fresh basil

Directions

  1. Soak the cashews in plenty of boiling water. Set aside.
  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. Add the seasoned breadcrumb ingredients to a small pan over medium-high heat. Stir frequently for 4 - 5 minutes. Set aside.
  6. To a medium bowl, add the passata sauce, garlic, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, and spices. Mix.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)*. 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 is a smooth, thick tomato sauce made from strained tomatoes without added seasonings, herbs, or spices.
  • * We used top and bottom heating (not fan-assisted/convection).

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.
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Let us know what you think

Nutrition info

Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician. While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.

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

Insanely delicious! 🥵

Reply
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!

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

Tasty!

Reply
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!

Reply
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 small logo 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 🙌😜

Reply
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 small logo 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 😃

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

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

PUL small logo 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 🙂

Reply
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 small logo 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!

Reply
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.

Reply
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

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

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

Reply