Bean & Cheese Zucchini Rolls {a.k.a. Zucchitos}

A few things:

1. I just returned from a weekend in Orlando for the Food & Wine Conference and oh. em. geeee.  So much good food, information and amusement. {Enough to elicit expressions suitable for a teenage girl, clearly.} I want to tell you all about it but, let’s be real, I still haven’t shared the recap from my trip to Philly 2 months ago. So, yeah.

2. I didn’t think this could ever, ever happen because I’m a bit of a margarita snob, but I’m totally digging these Sandra Lee Cocktail Time ready-made margs. I know. They were sent to me to try out and I was all, “Yeah, this is gonna taste like lime-flavored Pinesol”, and then I completely had to eat — er, drink? — my words because it was truly tasty. I should have known to trust good ol’ “Aunt Sandy”, homegirl knows her boozy drinks. They reminded me of back in the day when I used to frequent OTB for happy hour margaritas. Except now I’m old and instead of starting the night with margaritas, a few sips and I’m ready for bed.

3. These Bean & Cheese Zucchini Rolls look horrendous. Let’s just be clear about that. There is no angle or light that could make these look pretty, and quite frankly, I couldn’t care less because I just wanted to stuff them in my face. This isn’t Glamour Shots, this is dinner.

Here I am, trying to channel darling Faith from An Edible Mosaic and savvy Julius from Droolius who gave a fantastic presentation on how to photograph difficult food during FWCon and all I can think is, “Good grief, these look pretty gross.”

Pay no mind to this disturbing fact, my friends. Because what you’ve got here is a better-for-you version of a bean & cheese burrito. A “Zucchito”, if you will. They taste like a heavenly little Mexican-inspired pinwheel of dinnertime love. And best of all, they only require 4 ingredients.

A smear of refried beans and a sprinkle of cheese is all it takes to turn zucchini into a vegetable fiesta. For a bit of a zesty kick, these rolls are nestled into a pool of your favorite salsa verde {enchilada sauce would do the trick, too} and baked until tender. Serve with a side of rice and you’ve got yourself a meal.

They may not be a work of art, but their looks are nothing a few margaritas won’t beautify. 😉

Bean & Cheese Zucchini Rolls {a.k.a. Zucchitos}

Rate Recipe

Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 12 Rolls

Author Dianna Muscari

Ingredients  

• ½ cup salsa verde {I like Trader Joe's brand}
• 2 large zucchini cut lengthwise into thin strips *
• 1 can refried beans {I buy the vegetarian kind because they don't contain lard}
• ¾ cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• {Optional} Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour salsa verde into the bottom of an 8x8 inch baking dish and spread with a spoon. Set aside.
• Line a baking sheet with foil {so you can just toss the mess when you're done}, and place zucchini strips on sheet. Spread about 2 tablespoons of refried beans onto each strip, stopping a half inch or so shy of the end.
• Sprinkle each with about a tablespoon {or more, if you'd like} shredded cheese. Carefully roll the strips into a pinwheel until you get to the bare end -- leaving that spot without refried beans will make for "cleaner" rolls. Secure with a toothpick, if needed.
• Place the rolls in the baking dish** as close to each other as possible to help make sure they stay rolled up, nestling them down into the salsa verde.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving {to avoid all the filling falling out}. If desired, dollop a little sour cream {I use nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead} on top. Serve with Mexican rice, or as seen here, with chipotle-infused rice.

Dianna's Tips

* It really helps to get the zucchini pieces as thin as possible so they don't snap when you roll them. If you're not in a rush, baking the strips for a few minutes to soften them first will also help make them more pliable. Even if they break, they'll still be good... just uglier than they already are.

**I placed mine with the open side facing up, but placing them with the open sides lying horizontally may help them take a better shape.