Zucchini Rollups
Zucchini rollups are thin ribbons of zucchini spread with a savory tofu filling, rolled up, set over a layer of tomato sauce, and baked until tender. They work as an appetizer, a light lunch, or a fun dinner, and they come together with a handful of pantry staples plus fresh summer herbs. If you want something that looks impressive but is actually easy to pull off, this is the recipe.
Zucchinis are one of my favorite summer vegetables, and I love them because they’re light, they’re yummy, and they’re extremely versatile. If you’re wondering about the next amazing recipe you’re going to prepare with zucchini, I have the answer for you: these vegan zucchini rollups with one of the most flavorful fillings around. They’re a bit similar to one of my oldest recipes on the blog, eggplant involtini, and to my skinny zucchini lasagna, so if you love those, you’ll feel right at home here.
What goes into the filling
The filling is where all the flavor lives, and it’s built to be bold. For the best combo I used smoked tofu, nutritional yeast, dried tomatoes, miso paste, and lots of different greens such as green onion, mint, and dill. The smoked tofu gives it body and a savory backbone, the nutritional yeast brings a cheesy, umami note, the miso paste adds salty depth, and the dried tomatoes concentrate a sweet-tart tomato flavor that fresh ones can’t match.
A few notes on the ingredients: the miso gets diluted in an equal amount of water before it goes in, which keeps it from clumping and lets it season everything evenly. Fresh lemon juice and a minced clove of garlic lift the whole mixture, and the mint and dill keep it bright rather than heavy. Everything goes into a food processor and gets pulsed until smooth and homogenous, so you don’t need to chop with precision, just get it into the bowl.
How to slice the zucchini for rolling
The trick to rollups that actually roll is thin, flexible slices. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the zucchinis into long ribbons rather than a knife, which is hard to keep even by hand. Peeler slices are thin enough to bend without cracking, so they wrap around the filling instead of snapping. Run the peeler down the length of each zucchini and you’ll get wide, pliable strips that hold their shape once baked.
Aim for the widest, flattest part of the zucchini for your ribbons. The first and last passes tend to be mostly skin, so save those for another use or lay them under the rollups. While it may look complicated, the whole thing is super easy and fun once you get used to the actual rolling, so don’t be intimidated by the process.
Assembling and baking the rollups
Start by preheating the oven to 200 C and pouring about half a cup of tomato sauce into your baking dish to make a thin layer on the bottom. This layer does double duty: it keeps the rollups from sticking and it steams them gently from below as they bake, so they turn out tender instead of dry. Lay the zucchini slices out on a cutting board, brush each one with a little tomato sauce, then spread about a teaspoon of filling along it.
Roll each slice up snugly and stand it in the dish over the sauce, then repeat with the rest. Resist the urge to overfill: a teaspoon is enough, and too much filling makes the rolls hard to close and prone to spilling. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the zucchini is soft and the tops are just starting to color. Serve with some fresh herbs scattered over the top.
Swaps and variations for the filling
If you’re not sold on my filling proposal, you can always swap some ingredients and make your own version. You can use anything you like, such as mushrooms, ricotta, vegan mozzarella, or tofu, depending on the texture and flavor you’re after. Vegan parmesan makes everything better, trust me, so a spoonful stirred into the mix or grated on top is never a bad idea.
- Swap the smoked tofu for sauteed mushrooms if you want a meatier, earthier bite.
- Fold in vegan mozzarella for a stretchier, milder filling.
- Change up the herbs: basil or parsley work if you don’t have dill and mint on hand.
- As far as I’ve seen, even kids are a fan if you top the rollups with some tomato sauce and lots of melted cheese.
What to serve with zucchini rollups
Because these are light, they play well next to something a little more substantial. Serve them as part of a spread with roasted garlic mushrooms and crusty bread for an easy summer dinner, or plate them as a starter before a bigger main. If you’re leaning into the whole zucchini theme, they sit nicely alongside my skinny zucchini lasagna or a bowl of Mexican zucchini soup. For more ideas in this vein, my roundup of vegan zucchini recipes has plenty to browse.
Storing and making them ahead
Zucchini rollups keep well in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container, and they reheat beautifully in the oven, which keeps the zucchini from turning watery the way a microwave can. If you want to get ahead, you can make the filling a day in advance and store it covered in the fridge, then assemble and bake when you’re ready. The flavors actually deepen overnight, so a rested filling is no bad thing.
You can also assemble the rollups fully, cover the dish, and refrigerate for a few hours before baking, which makes them a solid choice for entertaining. Just add a couple of extra minutes in the oven if they’re going in cold. These are a natural fit for vegan meal prep when you want something a bit more special than the usual containers.
This recipe turned out so good that all I can do is urge you to try it too. If you make these zucchini rollups, please rate the recipe and drop a comment below to tell me how your rolling went and which filling you landed on. I read every one.
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Zucchini Rollups
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 cup passata tomato sauce
For the filling:
- 1 block tofu smoked
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 5 dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp green onion finely chopped,
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- 5 mint leaves finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 4 Tbsp miso paste diluted in 4 Tbsps of water
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C.
- Cut zucchinis into slices with a veggie peeler.
- Add all the filling ingrediens to a food processor and pulse until texture is smooth and homogenous.
- Pour ½ cup tomato sauce into a baking dish to make a thin layer on the bottom.
- Lay down the zucchini slices on a cutting board. Brush each slice with a little tomato sauce, then spread on each slice about a tsp of the filling.
- Roll up the zuchinni slices and place them in the baking dish, over the tomato sauce layer.
- Repeat with all the remaining slices.
- Bake the zucchini rollups for about 30 minutes.
- Serve with some fresh herbs garnish on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this version is fully vegan. The filling is built on smoked tofu, nutritional yeast, dried tomatoes, miso paste, and fresh herbs, with no dairy, egg, or other animal products. Nutritional yeast and miso give it the savory, cheesy depth you’d normally get from parmesan.
Use a vegetable peeler rather than a knife to shave the zucchini into long, thin ribbons. Peeler slices are thin and flexible enough to bend around the filling without snapping. Run the peeler down the length of the widest part of each zucchini for the most usable strips.
Yes. You can make the filling a day in advance and refrigerate it covered, or assemble the rollups fully, cover the dish, and chill them for a few hours before baking. If you bake them straight from cold, add a couple of extra minutes in the oven.
You can swap the smoked tofu for sauteed mushrooms for a meatier bite, or use vegan mozzarella or vegan ricotta for a milder, creamier filling. The rest of the seasonings stay the same, so you can adjust the base to whatever texture and flavor you prefer.
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, they keep for up to three days. Reheat them in the oven rather than the microwave, which keeps the zucchini from turning watery. They’re a good fit for meal prep when you want something a little more special.
It isn’t required for this recipe, because the thin peeler slices bake down quickly and the tomato sauce layer keeps them tender. If your zucchinis are especially watery, you can pat the ribbons dry with a towel before filling them to keep the rolls from getting soggy.
Yummy and easy to make!