Southwest Zucchini Roll-Ups are a delicious and appetizing way to use up your zucchini and make everyone think they are eating a chicken enchilada! I love using zucchinis in all sorts of recipes, from dinners to desserts. Serve Zucchini Soup as an appetizer or light meal.
Southwest Zucchini Roll-Ups
I absolutely love enchiladas, and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t even miss the tortilla with this Southwest Zucchini Roll-Up recipe! It’s like eating a chicken enchilada but wrapped in zucchini. It could just as well be called a Zucchini Chicken Enchilada. I like the sound of Zucchini Roll-Ups since I did all that work of rolling the sliced zucchini around the chicken mixture😀.
Best Size Zucchini To Use for Zucchini Enchiladas
I used a large zucchini, but this is ok because they are sliced so thin. (If you were not using this slices, they would need to be de-seeded.) If you are using a small zucchini you might need 4 slices instead of 3 (as I have shown) and maybe use less filling as they will not be as long. It will still be delicious, though!
How to Make Southwest Zucchini Roll-Ups
Start by preparing your tools. I highly recommend using a mandoline for this recipe as zucchini is very firm and could be difficult to cut fine slices by hand. Adding a mandoline slicer to your cooking utensils is something I would recommend. You can use it to shred vegetables for a stir-fry, slice lemon for a cocktail garnish, and cut potatoes for french fries. Don’t mistake a mandoline slicer with the instrument, mandolin (no ‘e’ on the end). However, the wrist motion of using the slicer can definitely help you when you learn to play the musical mandolin! If you do not have a mandoline handy, slice the zucchini as thinly and as carefully as you can!
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, spraying with a non-stick spray. Set the lined pan aside, and preheat the oven to 375° F.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion and garlic to cook for about 3-4 minutes. Next, mix in the sweet corn, black beans, chili powder, cumin, and shredded rotisserie chicken. Then, remove this mixture from the heat before adding the salsa, enchilada sauce, cheese, and jalapeno.
PRO TIP: If you do not want to mess with pulling apart a whole rotisserie chicken, look in the deli department for it already shredded! But, I do love a hot, fresh rotisserie chicken (especially in my slow cooker) and if you shred the chicken yourself, the leftovers are a bonus!
How to Bake Southwest Zucchini Roll-Ups
After you have made your chicken filling mixture, it’s time to load the mixture onto the zucchini. Lay the sliced zucchini on the cutting board, three at a time, side by side. You might have some of the zucchini slices overlapping, but that is okay. In fact, it will hold in all the filling a little better. Put some of the chicken mixture onto the zucchini and roll it up! Carefully transfer the roll up onto the lined pan, seam down. Repeat with your other slices of zucchini until your pan is full. Then, top off the Southwest Zucchini Roll-Ups with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake them for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Yum!!!!
How to Serve Zucchini Enchiladas
After you have baked the Southwest Zucchini Roll-Ups, it’s best to offer some toppings for your guests to choose from. I like to top the roll-ups off with a little jalapeno, tomatoes, and sour cream, but they are also delicious as is.
Can You Freeze These Zucchini Roll-Ups Ahead of Time?
There are a few ways to make part of the Zucchini Roll-Ups ahead of time or save them for later. I would not freeze the roll-ups once they have been put together. Zucchini will get mushy and watery when frozen, so that would be a waste of a good thing! However, you could make the chicken filling and freeze that mixture until you are ready to assemble your roll-ups. Another option you have is to make the chicken filling mixture ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator to put on the zucchini the next day. If you have already baked the zucchini roll-ups, they are good for about 3 days. When you reheat them, bake them for 10-20 minutes at 350°F.
More Zucchini Recipes
Southwest Zucchini Roll Ups
Ingredients
Chicken Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 can (15.25 ounces) sweet corn, drained
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- ½ cup fresh tomato salsa
- ½ cup green enchilada sauce
- ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno, diced
Zucchini
- 3 medium zucchini
Toppings
- ½ cup green enchilada sauce
- ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno, diced
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Chicken Mixture
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic, and cook 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Stir in corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, and shredded chicken. Remove from heat.
- Add in salsa, enchilada sauce, cheese, and jalapeno.
Zucchini
- Line a sheet pan aluminum foil, lightly spray with a non-stick spray.
- Trim the ends of the zucchini and using a mandolin or a large vegetable peeler, peel zucchini into thin slices.
- On a cutting board, lay out 2-3 strips of zucchini slightly overlapping each other (depending on how large your zucchini is).
- Add about ¼ cup of chicken mixture and tightly roll up the zucchini.
- Transfer to the sheet pan seam down.
Topping
- Top with enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Top with diced jalapenos, tomatoes, and sour cream.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I made these today. They were absolutely amazing!
Is this recipe Paleo.
Made this recipe tonight! Very good! Good way to use some of the zucchini from the garden!