My husband and I enjoyed these at a rustic French restaurant years ago, and I’ve been making them every summer since. You can use either yellow summer squash, or zucchini to make them. Choose any soft cheese for the filling. I used a ricotta for this recipe, but I’ve often used an herbed goat cheese as well.

Slicing the squash takes a little time and effort, but otherwise this dish comes together pretty quickly and easily. You can enjoy these as an appetizer or a side dish.

Zucchini makes these a delicious, nutritious, low cal appetizer to bring to your next gathering. A great recipe to share with anyone who has zucchini growing in their summer garden! Bonus: The only waste is the stem! The skin of summer squash is tender, so you just wash the squash well, and use the whole thing. Picking them young, yields small, edible seeds as well.

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Zucchini Roll-ups with Ricotta

My go-to summer zucchini rollatini. I used ricotta for this one, but an herbed goat cheese is equally yummy. They’re so easy and delicious. If serving as an appetizer, you’ll have 6 servings, or 3-4 as a side dish (per 2 squash).

Author Rosanne Rust MS RDN, www.rustnutrition.com

Ingredients

  • 2 small summer squash zucchini or yellow, sliced thinly, longways
  • 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup tomato sauce 🥫
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan optional

Instructions

  • Heat your grill to medium high.

  • Lightly brush both slides of squash with oil and grill in small batches. Watch closely and turn after a couple minutes until soft. Remove from grill to plate.

  • Warm tomato sauce and spread onto an 8-inch plate.

  • Mix the parsley, garlic powder and black pepper into the ricotta until blended.

  • Place 2-3 teaspoons of cheese onto each slice of zucchini and roll up. Place each piece on the bed of sauce.

  • Garnish with extra parsley and grated Parmesan.

Notes

These can be made ahead and refrigerated. Serve at room temperature or heat for 10 minutes in a warm oven.