TL/DR – Zucchini Pepperoni Rollups. A fun and pretty recipe. Use a mandoline to create very thin strips of zucchini. Safety first! Rollup with pepperoni, fennel, bell peppers and fresh mozzarella. Bake with marinara from a jar. –
Zucchini Pepperoni Rollups are a bit time consuming, but they are an excellent way to get kids helping in the kitchen. (An added bonus is that they will then most likely eat the vegetables.) It is best to have a mandoline for this recipe, (which should only be handled by an adult.) If you don’t have a mandoline, I recommend this one from Cuisinart. Please read and digest all safety instructions!
Use the mandoline to slice thin ribbons of zucchini lengthwise, just less than 1/8″ thick. Any thicker than that and they have a hard time staying rolled up. Use a large zucchini that is as uniform in shape as possible. Cut off the very ends and there is very little waste once the slicing starts. Use the mandoline to slice the same thickness of fennel.
Use a knife to julienne a red bell pepper and then slice each long strip in half. Cut an ball of fresh mozzarella into chunky strips about an inch and a half long. Cut large pepperoni in half. Smaller pepperoni can be left whole, but just use two or three pepperoni per rollup. I prefer Applegate Farms Uncured Beef Pepperoni.
Use a jarred marinara sauce of your choice as the base layer in a baking dish. To assemble, lay strips of zucchini out with the pepperoni on top, careful to keep one edge clear because each rollup needs to sit on the bottom of the baking dish without falling over. Follow with the fennel, red pepper and fresh mozzarella, then carefully roll as tightly as possible and place gently into the dish with the open tab facing the edge to prevent it from popping open. Repeat, repeat, get the hang of it, repeat some more.
Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 5 with a sprinkle of Parmesan. They turn out just crispy on top and still a bit crunchy. Serve with extra marinara heated on the stove and a delicious thick slice of garlic bread.
Zucchini Pepperoni Rollups
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini, sliced less than 1/8 inches thick on a mandoline
- 1 large fennel bulb, cleaned and sliced less than 1/8 inches thick on a mandoline
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned and then strips cut in half
- 1 5 oz. package pepperoni, preferably Applegate farms, cut in half if larger than 1.5 inches in diameter
- 1 8 oz. package fresh mozzarella, cut into about 20 1.5 inch chunky strips
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Step 2 Slice the vegetables, pepperoni, mozzarella and set aside.
- Step 3 Pour 1 c of marinara sauce into the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish or slightly smaller baking dish.
- Step 4 Lay 4 strips of zucchini on a cutting board. At the end closest to you, place one piece of pepperoni, then another right next to it. *It’s important that the end that starts the rolling have the majority of the ingredients and the end that becomes the outside edge not have any ingredients on it.
- Step 5 Top the first slice of pepperoni closest to you with a slice of fennel, three pieces of pepper, and one chunk of cheese. *Be careful to keep one long edge flat, so that it sits flat in the dish once rolled up.
- Step 6 Carefully roll each slice of zucchini up, trying to make it as tight as possible, then place on top of the marinara sauce in the baking dish with the open edge tucked against the edge of the dish or against another rollup to prevent them from coming unrolled.
- Step 7 Repeat the process until the dish is full or almost full. There may still be some room and that is fine.
- Step 8 Bake at 400, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Step 9 Uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Step 10 Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
