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This easy dinner will have you feeling like you’re dining in the Tuscan countryside! With no pasta involved, this Zucchini Ravioli is a low-carb alternative that is foolproof to make and much less finicky than fresh pasta.
save this recipe!If your garden is overflowing with zucchini, let me introduce you to your next dinner…zucchini ravioli. Rather than pasta, a cheesy and protein-packed (thanks to beans) filling is wrapped in thinly sliced zucchini.
Everything is nestled into a sauce similar to our viral marry me chickpea sauce. It makes for an easy yet impressive-looking recipe that’s also low in carbs and packed with veggies. Win-win-win!
Reader rating
“SO DELICIOUS! Great dinner that’s filling but lightweight and don’t fill guilty or heavy like I do after eating a whole family sized ravioli dish.” —Rosie
where beauty meets function
- A strategic fold not only keeps the filling inside the zucchini but is also pretty and easy to make.
- Butter beans plus cheese adds some oomph to the filling with added protein!
- Make this recipe ahead of time! Cover it with foil, and bake when ready. It also makes a stellar dish to gift a new parent or neighbor.
here’s what you’ll need
This low-carb ravioli recipe is ideal for using up lots of fresh zucchini!
- Zucchini: I try to find larger and longer zucchini, which are better suited to make the ravioli envelopes. You’ll also need salt to help draw the moisture out of the slices.
- The Filling: To make the creamy and protein-rich filling, you’ll combine butter beans, ricotta, parmesan cheese, egg, and fresh basil.
- The Sauce: This is just a simple mixture of marinara sauce, sundried tomatoes, and cream. You can also make homemade marinara sauce if you have loads of tomatoes to use up too!
teach me how to make it!
If you’ve ever made fresh pasta ravioli, this is really nothing like it…the filling is the same, but using zucchini is much easier (I’ve included step-by-step photos to guide you through the wrapping process).
- Prepare the zucchini by slicing it and letting it dry out with salt.
- Make the filling by roughly mashing up the beans and mixing them with everything else.
- Make the sauce by combining the marinara, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and heavy cream in a large casserole dish.
- Make the ravioli by laying the zucchini strips, placing the filling in the middle, and wrapping.
- Transfer to a casserole dish with the seam side down, pressing them into the sauce gently.
- Bake till golden brown and serve with fresh basil and shredded parmesan.
casserole dish size
For this recipe, I used a 9×13 casserole dish that is about 2-3″ deep. While it doesn’t need to be this exact size of baking dish, you want one that’s deep enough to hold the sauce and thick ravioli in.
thinly sliced zucchini
The best way to slice the zucchini thin enough for use as a pasta is with a mandolin or a vegetable peeler.
to make it ahead of time
You can assemble the dish in a freezer-safe casserole dish, cover it with foil, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days of freeze it for up to 3 months, then bake when ready. Just be aware freezing and thawing zucchini may change the texture due to the high moisture content.
serve it with…
Any Italian side dish is delicious with ravioli. Here are some ideas to get you started, but be sure to check out the full list of Italian recipes!
- Vegetarian Caesar Salad is ready in just 15 minutes, so you can prepare it while the zucchini ravioli bakes.
- Crispy Sauteed Eggplant is another low-carb option that delivers big flavor but is so easy to make!
- Basil Oil and crispy bread is a great starter for a meal like this if you’re not looking to be low carb and just love zucchini.
Got more zucchini? Try these stuffed zucchini boats next!
Stuffed Zucchini Ravioli (Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 14-oz can butter beans, drained and rinsed, 425 g
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, 100 g
- ½ cup shredded parmesan, 50 g
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
- 1 24-oz jar marinara sauce, 680 g
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, roughly chopped, 60 g
- ¼ cup heavy cream, 60 mL
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp oil, 5 mL
Instructions
- Prep: Using a mandolin, vegetable peeler, or with a chef's knife, thinly slice the 4 medium zucchini into lengthwise planks. Lay the thin strips out onto clean towels or paper towels, then sprinkle with ½ tsp salt.Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Filling: Meanwhile, add 1 14-oz can butter beans (drained and rinsed) to a medium bowl. Roughly mash up the beans with a fork, then stir in 1 cup ricotta cheese, ½ cup shredded parmesan, 1 egg, and 2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil.
- Sauce: To a large casserole dish, add 1 24-oz jar marinara sauce, ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, ¼ cup heavy cream, and 2 cloves garlic. Stir to combine.
- Make Ravioli: Pat zucchini dry, then transfer the strips to a clean surface. Layer two strips vertically and two strips horizontally to make a cross. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture to the center of the zucchini cross. Fold each side to seal in the filling.
- Assemble: Flip over the ravioli so the seam side is on the bottom, then transfer to your casserole dish. Continue until all zucchini are used up. It's okay if they overlap in the casserole dish, just gently press them into the sauce so that most are in the sauce.Brush the top of each ravioli with oil to help them brown. (Alternatively, you can sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella cheese).
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops of the zucchini ravioli are beginning to turn brown. Switch oven to "broil" and watch closely as they cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, just until the edges are browned and the tops are golden.
- Serve: Let cool slightly then serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
I had been looking for another use for the Kitchen-aide veggetable sheet slicer we have. This was it, and they were wonderful.
So happy you loved the recipe! 😀
This sounds wonderful! It seems like a great use for garden zucchini plus tomatoes too! Could you tell me how many raviolis are in a serving? My husband is trying to keep track of his carbs. Thank you Sarah.
There are about 2 ravioli per serving (it makes about 12 ravioli). To reduce the carbs even more you could omit the beans (and add cottage cheese instead). Enjoy! 😀
SO DELICIOUS!
Great dinner that’s filling but lightweight and don’t fill guilty or heavy like I do after eating a whole family sized ravioli dish. My mandolin didn’t quite slice the zucchini as thin as pictured, but I was able to keep the edges it folded by using a little bit of the filling on the ends.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you loved it! 😀
Delicious I added some mozzarella on top of mine.
Yum! So happy you liked it, Christine! 😀
Delicious! But way too much work. it could’ve been that I was super tired, and kind of scared of my mandolin. but the tastes as always are amazing and spot on, thank you Sarah!
This recipe was fast, easy and delicious!
I’m so happy to hear it, Carol! 😀
This was a great recipe! I used my tomato/zucchini/squash pasta sauce with it and cannellini beans. It was delicious!
I’m so happy to hear it! Thanks for letting us know how it went! 😀
The flavors were great in this recipe! My kids raved about the sauce, and finished every bite of the zucchini. I used a knife since I didn’t have a mandolin, but will be investing in one, it seems. Thanks for another fantastic and easy recipe.
I’m so happy you liked it, Becky! And yea, I’m not usually in favor of buying lots of one-purpose kind of kitchen gadgets, but I do love my mandolin! 😀
It was delicious!! I used garbanzo beans (couldn’t find butter beans) My boyfriend has gone vegetarian for health reasons, so I am learning to cook new meals. We loved it! We will make this a regular.
Thank you! 🙂
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit, Shelly! Thanks for letting us know how it went! 😀
You can also use egg plant. so you can have zucchini and egg plant ravioli, different flavours in one dish.