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Why I Prefer Lasagna Rollups to Traditional Lasagna
I dread making traditional lasagna. It's true. I don't like the lasagna layering process. Sauce, noodles, cheese, repeat. It annoys me for some reason and it seems messy. If I have a lasagna craving, I'm either going to make these Lasagna Rolls or my Cheesy Skillet Lasagna.Both lasagna versions seem much easier to me for some reason. Maybe I'm crazy, but I do prefer lasagna rollups to traditional lasagna for that reason and because lasagna rollups make portion control SO MUCH EASIER! 2 little rolls and a salad and I'm good to go. I don't have to guess what size I should cut out to eat that will satisfy me without overdoing it. My eyes are pretty much ALWAYS bigger than my stomach!
My daughter, Madison, first introduced me to Lasagna Rollups one night when she was a teenager. She asked to make dinner and, being the supportive mom I am, I agreed as I ran as fast as I could from the kitchen before she had the chance to change her mind!
Madison made Shrimp Lasagna Rolls and that recipe instantly became my FAVORITE lasagna recipe of all time! A few years later she was kind enough to share the recipe with me for the blog here: Madison's Shrimp Lasagna Rolls
How to Make Lasagna Rollups
When I make these meaty Lasagna Rollups it's typically in a week when I've made my homemade Red Sauce. It's a slow cooker recipe that makes a pretty good amount of red sauce. I use the red sauce to prep several different dinners such as my Meatball Sub Casserole, Easy Meatballs with spaghetti, and these Lasagna Rollups. I can portion everything out into storage containers to have dinners throughout the week. Here's how to get these easy lasagna rollups on the dinner table:- Prepare a batch of my homemade red sauce or, alternatively, have 2 1/2 cups of your favorite sauce ready to go
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 1 lb box of lasagna noodles as directed on the package.
- While the noodles are cooking heat a skillet over mid high heat and brown 1 pound of ground chuck with 1/4 cup fresh basil, 2 tablespoons freshly minced onion, 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in 2 1/2 cups red sauce and heat through. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
- Prepare a 13x9" baking dish: Spray the baking dish with cooking spray and pour 1/2 cup of meat sauce on the bottom. Spread to cover bottom of dish.
- After draining the noodles, run them under cold water to cool them off. When cooled enough to handle, lay each noodle out onto a piece of parchment paper. Make the parchment big enough to hold about 4-5 noodles in a single layer.
- Mix 16 ounces ricotta cheese with 1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. Stir to combine the mixture well.
- Spoon about a good sized tablespoon of cheese mixture onto each noodle and spread the cheese mixture to cover the noodle. Roll up each noodle and place in prepared baking dish close together. Continue until all the noodles are filled with cheese, rolled up, and placed in the baking dish. (See step-by-step photos below for reference)
- Pour the remaining meat sauce on top of the lasagna rollups and top with 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted. Garnish with freshly chopped basil and enjoy!
Meatless Lasagna Rollups Option
To make this a meatless meal omit the step to cook the ground chuck and just use the sauce without the meat. Making a meatless version of these lasagna rollups is a little bit easier, less messy, yet still delicious. My hubs loves his meat, so I only do that when I'm feeling extra super lazy in the kitchen, but it is a good option to have.Make Ahead Lasagna Rollups
This Lasagna Rollups recipe is a great make ahead meal. I purchase cheap containers and portion out how many rollups we would need for dinner or lunch and store the containers in the fridge or freeze them for future use.When I know I'm going to have a very busy week or maybe I'm going out of town and want to be nice to the hubs by making up dinners for him to enjoy while I'm gone, I will meal prep on the weekends. Lasagna Rollups are always in my meal prep plans because they are super easy to make and they freeze and reheat nicely too.
I really LOVE these containers > Emerald Living 38 ounce 1 compartment food containers. They are CHEAP, durable, travel easy, stack nicely in the fridge and don't take up a lot of cabinet space when stored. And a HUGE bonus is they are dishwasher safe! Even the lids! I can't say enough about them. I got rid of all my other plastic food storage containers and replaced them with these for all of the reasons I stated above.
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Lasagna Rollups
Main Dish
Italian
Yield: 8-10
Lasagna Rollups
Lasagna Rollups filled with 3 different kinds of cheese and dripping in the most amazing meat sauce are made for lazy cooks like me!
prep time: 20 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 50 mins
ingredients:
Meat Sauce
- 1 lb ground chuck
- 1/4 cup basil, freshly chopped
- 2 tbsp onion, freshly minced
- 1 tbsp garlic, freshly minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
- 2 1/2 cups red sauce
Lasagna Rollups
- 1 lb box lasagna noodles prepared as directed on package
- 16 ounces Ricotta cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Basil, fresh chopped for garnish
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 1 lb box of lasagna noodles as directed on the package.
Meat Sauce
- While the noodles are cooking heat a skillet over mid high heat and brown 1 pound of ground chuck with 1/4 cup fresh basil, 2 tablespoons freshly minced onion, 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in 2 1/2 cups red sauce and heat through. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Lasagna Rollups
- Prepare a 13x9" baking dish: Spray the baking dish with cooking spray and pour 1/2 cup of meat sauce on the bottom. Spread to cover bottom of dish.
- After draining the noodles, run them under cold water until cooled enough to handle. Lay 4-5 noodles out flat onto a piece of parchment paper in a single layer.
- Mix 16 ounces ricotta cheese with 1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. Stir to combine the mixture well.
- Spoon a good sized tablespoon of ricotta cheese mixture onto each noodle to cover. Roll up each noodle and place in prepared baking dish close together. Continue until all the noodles are filled with cheese, rolled up, and placed in the baking dish. (See step-by-step photos above for reference)
- Pour the remaining meat sauce on top of the lasagna rollups and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted. Garnish with freshly chopped basil and enjoy!
calories
551
551
fat (grams)
12
12
sat. fat (grams)
4.9
4.9
carbs (grams)
86
86
protein (grams)
27
27
sugar (grams)
7.9
7.9
Fiber
5.8
5.8
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