Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups with Bacon and Tomatoes

Make a splash at your next backyard barbecue with these zucchini roll-ups. They look super fancy, but they're super easy to make and require just a handful of ingredients. If you watched my recent video (Summer Casserole with Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Pesto), you might have noticed that I used a copious amount of zucchini and yellow squash to assemble a lasagna-like dish. But I still had a few zucchini leftover. That was great news for me because it's one of my very FAVORITE vegetables. So, I took the extra zucchini, sliced it very thin, and seared it until golden brown on my grill pan. Then I filled the tender strips with a mixture of cottage cheese, diced tomato and bacon (ingredients you probably already have in your fridge right now)! Once rolled, I sealed the deal with fresh chives, but you can use green onions if your rolls are bigger. Fast, fabulous, fun -- try them this summer! Tip, for bite-size morsels, select the smallest zucchini you can find.

Zucchini Roll-Ups with Bacon and Tomatoes

Cooking spray
3-4 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into thin strips (about 1/4-inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1 cup diced ripe tomatoes (drain away any liquid and pat the tomatoes dry on paper towels)
4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
Fresh chives or thinly sliced green onions

Coat a stove-top grill pan or outdoor grill with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high. Add the zucchini strips and cook until browned on both sides, about 1 minute per side, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Work in batches if necessary to prevent crowding the pan.
In a medium bowl, combine the cottage cheese, tomatoes and bacon. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread a small amount the cottage cheese mixture down the center of each grilled zucchini slice. Starting from the shorter end, roll up the zucchini. Secure the rolls with chives, green onions or wooden picks. Serve room temperature or chill until ready to serve (can be made up to 24 hours in advance).

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer or side dish





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