No need to miss regular lasagna with these high protein, low-carb zucchini lasagna rolls, which are stuffed with ground beef, cottage cheese and parmesan and topped with melted mozzarella cheese.
In this high-protein, low-carb lasagna recipe, we stuff thin zucchini strips with lean ground beef, Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce, cottage cheese and parmesan. Then, we top the zucchini rolls with arrabbiata sauce, parmesan and shredded mozzarella.
And when these zucchini lasagna rolls come out of the oven with melted, gooey cheese, we forget about less healthier lasagna. The one issue we have with this recipe is that we keep wanting to eat more even though were full!
These zucchini lasagna rolls are made with just 8 ingredients, and the prep time takes less than 25 minutes. The rest of the time is hands-off baking!
Key Ingredients
Just a few notes on key ingredients in these healthy lasagna rolls.
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- Grass-fed ground beef (90% lean): We use 90% lean ground beef to increase the protein percentage in these lasagna rolls. If you prefer, you could use 85% lean beef instead. We highly recommend grass-fed beef since it's healthier, more nutrient dense, and lower in fat.
- Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce: We use arrabbiata sauce since it's spicier than marinara and adds a little heat to this dish. Don't worry, it doesn't make it spicy — just enough to make it flavorful. We recommend Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce since it's one the best low-carb sauces out there (in terms of taste and clean ingredients). However, you may use another low-carb arrabbiata sauce if you prefer.
- Full-fat (4%), small-curd cottage cheese: Cottage cheese replaces traditional ricotta cheese to increase the protein percentage. We use full-fat (4% milk fat) cottage cheese to increase the creaminess and reduce the amount of water (which is mainly a result of the zucchini)
Step-by-Step Instructions
STEP 1 — PREPARE ZUCCHINI: Wash the zucchini and cut ¼ inch off each end. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a mandolin or Y-shaped vegetable peeler to slice thin zucchini strips (3mm or ⅛ inch). Slice a total of 32 zucchini strips (for 4 servings). Place strips side-by-side in one single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with several paper towel sheets. Generously salt the strips to draw out the water. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Then, dab water off zucchini with dry paper towels.
STEP 2 — PREPARE PAN: Spread ⅓ cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish. Set aside.
STEP 3 — PREPARE MEAT MIXTURE: In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Pour our off grease and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in ⅓ cup Rao's sauce. Pulse cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl with blended cottage cheese, ¼ cup parmesan and egg. Mix well.
STEP 4 — START ROLLS: Create each zucchini roll by slightly overlapping 2 zucchini strips. Add 2 tablespoons of meat mixture to the overlapping strips.
Step 5 — FINISH ROLLS: Roll up zucchini strips stuffed with meat mixture and place in baking dish. There should be a total of 14 to 16 roles.
Step 6: TOP WITH SAUCE & CHEESE: Top the rolls with ⅓ cup sauce, ¼ cup parmesan and ½ cup mozzarella. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. After baking, allow the lasagna to cool for roughly 10 minutes (important for absorbing juices!).
There you have it! It may seem like a lot of steps, but it goes quicker than you think. And don't try to to make the rolls perfect — as long as they hold together that is good enough! It's fine to have mixture squeezing out as no one will notice after you top with sauce and cheese!
Recipe FAQ
There are a few steps you can take to prevent the zucchini lasagna from becoming watery. First, slice the zucchini into very thin strips (3mm or ⅛ inch). Then, generously salt the slices with salt. This is an important step since salt draws water out of the zucchini. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the zucchini to "sweat" water. At that point, you'll thoroughly dab the zucchini with paper towels to remove water.
When you take the lasagna out of the oven, it will appear watery, but let sit for 10 minutes to absorb the juices and become less watery.
After the lasagna has cooled to room temperature, you may store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat each serving in the microwave until warm.
Related Recipes
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Recipe
Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Cottage Cheese (High Protein)
Ingredients
- 2.5 medium-size zucchini (we typically use 2 ½ zucchinis or roughly 15 ounces total)
- 1 pound grass-fed ground beef, 90% lean
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1 cup Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce separated into ⅓ for meat mixture, ⅓ for spreading on bottom of dish, AND ⅓ for topping
- 1 large egg
- 5 ounces 4% milkfat, small-curd cottage cheese
- ½ cup parmesan for meat mixture separated in half, ¼ for meat mixture and ¼ for lasagna topping
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Get started: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with several paper towels. In a 9x12 glass or ceramic baking dish, evenly spread ⅓ cup Rao's sauce. Set aside.
- Prepare the zucchini: Wash zucchini and slice off the ends of each zucchini. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a mandolin or Y-shaped vegetable peeler to slice zucchini into thin strips (3mm or ⅛ inch thick). Slice a total of 32 zucchini strips. Place strips side-by-side in one single layer on prepared baking sheet with paper towels. Generously salt the strips to draw out the water. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Dab water off zucchini with dry paper towels.
- Prepare meat mixture: In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Pour our off grease and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in ⅓ cup Rao's sauce. Pulse cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl with blended cottage cheese, ¼ cup parmesan and egg. Mix well.
- Create zucchini rolls: Create each zucchini roll by slightly overlapping 2 zucchini strips. Add 2 tablespoons of meat mixture to the overlapping strips. Roll up zucchini strips stuffed with meat mixture and place in baking dish. There should be a total of 14 to 16 roles. Top the rolls with ⅓ cup sauce, ¼ cup parmesan and ½ cup mozzarella.
- Bake and serve: Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. After baking, allow the lasagna to cool for roughly 10 minutes (important for absorbing juices!).
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