In an effort to eat healthier, I made these Zucchini Lasagna Spirals, and I’m sure glad I did! I arrived home from work absolutely famished for lasagna, but I knew I couldn’t have a traditional style lasagna with noodles and such, so I turned to the internet for some ideas.
I found this great recipe from Sarah and her blog, A Saucy Kitchen. I made a few adjustments; some out of necessity, and others because I was running out of time. I needed to get dinner on the table! I never like to leave anyone hungry!
Truth be told, I had so much fun making this. I found it to be mind-numbing – in a good way! To me, it was almost therapeutic after a long day at work to carefully slice the zucchini, load the slices with cheese and sauce, and to carefully roll each one up and tuck it into the baking dish. It was fun to find the perfect spot in the baking dish so that the rolls would look curly and pretty. What!? We eat with our eyes first, right!
These Zucchini Lasagna Spirals will most definitely be my go-to lasagna dish. In all probability, I will never use noodles again. Both John.e and McKenna loved them – as did I! Using only four zucchini, I was able to make this entire dish! We all ate about 6 each for dinner, and I transferred the remaining spirals to a smaller baking dish, allowed it to cool, then wrapped it up and put it in the fridge.
The next day, I topped the leftovers with a little extra cheese and popped it into the oven for twenty minutes to reheat it. I served it with a simple salad and our bellies were satisfied once more!
If you’re watching your weight, or trying to ease up on the carbs and calories, then I would highly recommend this dish. Not only is it a healthier option, it’s absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious! I can’t wait to have more!
Next, use a wooden spoon and mix together the ricotta, egg, spinach, basil, parmesan and half of the mozzarella cheese until well blended.
Using a 9x13 baking dish as a vessel, add one cup of the marinara to the pan and spread it evenly over the bottom and set aside.
Next, you’ll start to assemble the rolls. Use a clean cutting board and lay one slice of the zucchini down flat. Spread the ricotta mixture over the top – about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture will do just fine. Top the spread ricotta with a tablespoon or so of the marinara sauce.
Roll up the zucchini slice, firmly, but not too firm so that the ricotta and sauce pushes out the ends. Place the zucchini roll standing up in the baking dish. Move on to the next, filling the pan, until you have used up all of the zucchini.
I used the remaining ricotta mixture up by pushing small amounts into each zucchini roll. Then, use a teaspoon to fill in any open spots with the leftover marinara.
Top with the remaining mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan (optional).
Bake for 45 minutes or until the cheese has melted. If you‘d like, you can place the dish under the broiler to get a crispy, melted cheese effect.
Byron, I've always wanted to try making these spirals. Did the zucchini release a lot of water?
They did not, surprisingly. If they did, then most of the water evaporated during the cooking process.
I don't believe I've seen zucchini lasagna presented with the spirals facing up, but I really love the look. I'm shamelessly stealing the presentation idea next time I make a zucchini lasagna. It's definitely a good way to cut the carbs, especially when you really really want comfort food.