Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups w/ Tofu Ricotta

Written by on in Blog, Lunch/Dinner, Recipes, Snacks

By Dr. Sirisha Potluri

Ingredients:

This recipe requires the use of an oven and 10.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish

4 Medium Zucchini (Slice into 1⁄2 inch, thick strips using mandolin or sharp knife)
Marinara Sauce (Buy oil-free, low-fat, vegan)
Panko bread crumbs (2 tablespoons) OR homemade bread crumbs from whole-wheat bread.

Tofu Ricotta

  • 1 pound spinach
  • 1 block extra-firm tofu (drained)
  • 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • Juice of 1 whole lemon
  • Salt (to taste) and Italian Spices (Basil, oregano, etc.)
  • fresh Basil (garnish)

Instructions:

Simmer the store-bought pasta sauce until it thickens little bit.

  1. Slice the Zucchini— trim both of the zucchini ends. Slice the zucchini into 3 mm, long, thick strips using a mandolin or sharp knife (Aim for 35-40 total slices)
  2. 3.Salt the Zucchini (Lay the zucchini slices flat in a single layer onto a wire rack).
  3. Sprinkle each side with salt, let the zucchini rest for 15 minutes. (Salt helps dry the
    moisture content in the zucchini and will soften the zucchini to make it pliable)
  4. Blanch the spinach — Bring a large pot of water to boil, add spinach, and blanch for about 50 seconds. Drain spinach, transfer to a bowl and then chop it up once it cools.
  5. Prepare the Tofu Ricotta — crumble half of the tofu into the food processor, add nutritional yeast, garlic powder, lemon juice, and process until the tofu has a grainy texture. (If the mixture isn’t coming together, add a bit of water) Crumble the other half of the tofu into the tofu mixture, add the spinach, and mix to combine.
  6. Now add the bread crumbs to the mixture for a little more texture (optional)
  7. Assembly — Assemble the lasagna roll-ups. Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce onto the bottom of a 10.5 x 7.5-inch baking dish. Spread one spoonful of ricotta mixture evenly along with each zucchini slice, followed by one spoonful of marinara sauce. Gently roll each slice up and place it in the prepared baking dish. Continue until there’s no more room in the dish.
  8. Bake Lasagna roll-ups at 375 F until Marinara sauce is bubbly and top of lasagna roll is slightly browned (Approximately 20-30 minutes)
  9. After 15 minutes, add some nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, and garlic powder to the lasagna, and finish in the oven for 5 more minutes.
  10. Garnish with basil and enjoy