Baked Zucchini Rolls

I wanted to make some zucchini rolls with zucchini we had from the garden. So I decided to pack them with vegetables for a delicious, colorful, plant-based, dinner.

Baked Zucchini Rolls

Makes 4 servings

1 jumbo zucchini, or a couple smaller ones, 16 long thin strips

3-4 sweet potatoes, cooked and cooled (3c mashed)

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 c cooked baby organic spinach and or kale (1 1/2 cups after cooking/steaming or frozen defrosted) used a combination of spinach and kale

1 14.5 ounce canned diced tomatoes, 1-1.5 chopped fresh, drained

sea salt

2 TBSP nutritional yeast, optional

optional seasoning choices, cayenne pepper or fresh rosemary

Cut zucchini into 16 long thin strips, discard the first strip cut on each side that has a large amount of the peel. Place strips in a colander and salt generously with sea salt. Let drain for 20 minutes. Rinse zucchini well and drain again. In a large pan heat olive oil on medium high. Sauté onion for 5- 10 minutes until tender. Add drained tomatoes and chopped cooked greens to onions. Grate garlic into the mixture. Let heat up and evaporate any moisture that may be in the mixture, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.  If you would like to add a little spice you can add cayenne pepper to the mixture. Remove skin from sweet potatoes and mash in a bowl with a fork. Preheat oven to 350. Pat zucchini strips dry with paper towel and lay on a cutting board. Press a layer, not to thick, of sweet potato onto each zucchini strip starting at the rounded end and stopping 1-2 inches from the end. Spoon onion, tomato, greens mixture on top of the sweet potato. Carefully roll, starting at the rounded end, the zucchini not putting too much pressure or rolling too tight. A small amount of the mixture may fall out of the sides. Stand roll on end in a 8×8 casserole or baking dish. Continue with the remaining zucchini strips and mixture. Once all zucchini rolls are rolled place any unused vegetable mixture in between the rolls, I had less than 1/2 a cup. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast if desired. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with fresh rosemary or seasoning of choice. Enjoy!