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Lasagna roll ups are a clever twist on the classic Italian lasagna dish. Lasagna rolls have many advantages over making a traditional lasagna – they’re easier to make, look neater and are perfectly portioned for easy freezing and reheating. Try this simple lasagna roll ups recipe once, and you’ll never go back to lasagna squares again!
We like to serve our lasagna rolls with a side salad, coleslaw and cheesy pull-apart bread. Deliziosa!
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INGREDIENTS TO MAKE LASAGNA ROLL UPS
You’ll need…
- 10 – 12 lasagna noodles
- 1 lb of lean ground beef
- ½ tablespoon of Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon of garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- ½ yellow onion
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 24 oz. jar of marinara sauce
- 15 oz. of ricotta
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup of parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes
- Fresh parsley for garnish
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS & ADDITIONS
BEEF – To make this dish suitable for vegetarians you can substitute the meat for a vegetarian alternative such as Quorn meatless grounds. Or, if you just don’t like beef, any kind of sausage would work well too.
SPINACH – Spinach goes perfectly with ricotta. Just shred it and add it to the cheese mixture.
VEGETABLES – To sneak in some of your five-a-day, you could swap some of the ground beef for vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchinis and bell peppers.
HOW TO MAKE THIS LASAGNA ROLL UPS RECIPE
STEP ONE: Boil the noodles according to the directions on the packet. Drain off the hot water, place the cooked noodles back in to the pot and add cold water. (If your lasagna noodles come in a pack of twelve, cook them all. It’s handy to have a couple of spares in case any break whilst cooking or if you end up with some excess filling. Also, It’s a good idea to keep your cooked noodles in a pan of cold water whilst they’re waiting to be rolled. This prevents them from sticking together.)
STEP TWO: In a large, deep-sided skillet, cook the ground beef until it’s no longer pink. Drain off the grease.
STEP THREE: To the skillet of beef, add the onion, Italian seasonings, garlic salt, minced garlic, salt and ground black pepper. Let it cook for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally.
STEP FOUR: Add the marinara sauce to the meat mixture and stir well. Bring the sauce to a simmer then cover with a lid and let it simmer for five minutes more. Remove from the heat.
STEP FIVE: In a large mixing bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg, parmesan cheese, three quarters of the mozzarella cheese and the dried parsley flakes. Stir to combine.
STEP SIX: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Use a rubber spatula to spread a half cup of meat sauce on to the bottom of the baking dish.
STEP SEVEN: Lay out the lasagna noodles on to a large baking sheet. Spread a quarter cup of the cheese filling on to each of the noodles, using a rubber spatula to spread the mixture the entire length of the noodle. Then add three tablespoons of meat sauce to each noodle, on top of the ricotta mixture.
STEP EIGHT: Gently roll each lasagna noodle from one end to the other, and place in to the baking dish. Top the rolled lasagna noodles with the remaining meat sauce. Add the remaining mozzarella cheese to the top of each lasagna roll.
STEP NINE: Cover with tin foil and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the tin foil and broil for two to three minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
STORAGE
IN THE FRIDGE: Lasagna roll ups can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days in an airtight container.
IN THE FREEZER: Lasagna rolls are ideal for freezing. Just place the required number of roll ups for each portion into an airtight container and it’ll taste great for three months.
This lasagna roll recipe makes the best lasagna – it’s a wonder why anyone still makes it the traditional way! The tasty meat, zingy marinara sauce and creamy ricotta cheese complement each other perfectly. This is a dish that the whole family will be sure to love and a great option to take into the office to reheat in the microwave.
MORE PASTA RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
Lasagna Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 10-12 lasagna noodles cooked per package directions
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 yellow onion finely diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce
Ricotta Filling
- 15 oz ricotta
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/3 cup Parmesan shredded
- 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
Garnish
- fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot cook noodles according to package directions. Once the noodles are soft and cooked, drain hot water. With noodles still in the pot, add cold water to the noodles to stop the cooking process and to keep noodles from sticking together.
- In a large deep sided skillet cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease and return beef to skillet. Add onion, Italian seasonings, garlic salt, minced garlic, salt, and ground black pepper. Stir and let cook for 5-7 minutes, or until onions are soft and tender.
- Add marinara sauce to the meat mixture and stir well. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.
- In a separate large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, ¾ of the mozzarella cheese, and dried parsley flakes. Stir to combine.
- On a large baking sheet lay out 5 lasagna noodles. Spread ¼ cup of ricotta filling on the lasagna noodle. Use a rubber spatula to spread mixture the entire length of the noodle. Add 3 tbsp meat sauce to each lasagna noodle on top of the ricotta mixture. Use a rubber spatula to spread the meat sauce the entire length of the noodle.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Add ½ cup of meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and use the rubber spatula to spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.
- Gently roll each lasagna noodle from one end to the other, and place in the baking dish. Repeat the process with the remaining 5 noodles and place them in the baking dish.
- Top the rolled lasagna noodles with the remaining meat sauce. Add remaining mozzarella cheese to the top of each lasagna roll.
- Cover with tin foil and place in the oven. Cook at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove tin foil and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If your lasagna noodles come in a pack of twelve, cook them all. It’s handy to have a couple of spares in case any break whilst cooking or if you end up with some excess filling.
- It’s a good idea to keep your cooked noodles in a pan of cold water whilst they’re waiting to be rolled. This prevents them from sticking together.
- You should have two extra noodles for this recipe in case any noodles break or tear while cooking or rolling. You could stretch out the ricotta and meat sauce and make 12 total noodles instead of the 10 that it calls for. Depending on how big your baking dish is.
definitely one of my new favorite recipies!