How to Make Lasagna Roll-ups That Your Family Will Love

Lasagna roll-ups are a fun family recipe that everyone can love. It's like getting your own personal lasagna and they are very simple to make using an existing recipe that I am sure everyone has. Everyone that I know has a spaghetti recipe that they use, and if it is great I will show you how to take that same recipe and use it to make a completely different meal that will be a huge hit with everyone you serve it to.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 lb Lasagna Pasta
• Your favorite spaghetti sauce recipe
• 1 lb Ricotta Cheese
• 1 Lb Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 9 X 13 Baking Dish
• 2 Tbsp Basil
• 1/2 Tbsp Granulated Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Oregano
• 1 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1. Lasagna roll-ups are a fun family recipe that everyone can love. It's like getting your own personal lasagna and they are very simple to make using an existing recipe that I am sure everyone has. Everyone that I know has a spaghetti recipe that they use, and if it is great I will show you how to take that same recipe and use it to make a completely different meal that will be a huge hit with everyone you serve it to.

2. Ok the first thing you will need to do is prepare your favorite spaghetti sauce recipe making it slightly less loose than you normally make it. For example if it is a meat sauce add less sauce to make it a thicker consistency and if it is a vegetable based sauce or marinara tighten it up a bit with tomato paste. Don't forget to adjust the seasonings to make it taste the same. Believe it or not just this slight change can make your sauce more acidic or bland than you are use to so be sure to check it.

3. Next you will want to cook your lasagna pasta. Do it in batches to prevent breaking the pasta up into small unusable pieces. The best way to do this is to use a perforated basket for your stock pot, don't worry if you don't have one you can simply scoop out the cooked pasta with a spoon or a pair of tongs. This will save you from refilling the pot and waiting for the water to boil again and again. As you finish your pasta cool it and oil it to prevent it from overcooking and sticking.

4. While you are cooking the pasta you will want to prepare the filling for your roll-ups. This is simple, it just consists of ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and herbs and spices that your desire, such as basil, oregano, garlic or whatever you like to add. If you really want to jazz it up I like to add sun-dried tomatoes to this mix. Follow the recipe on my other eHow article How to reconstitute sun-dried tomatoes. To this mix you will want to add egg. This will be the binder that will help keep the filling inside the roll-up. How many eggs you add will depend on the amount of cheese that you use. A good rule of thumb is to add 2 eggs per pound of ricotta cheese. I normally use whole milk ricotta so if you decide to use light this may have to be adjusted.

5. In a casserole dish fill it 1/3 to halfway up with your sauce depending on the size of the dish. If it is a 9 X 13 dish you can go halfway, anything smaller I would go 1/3 of the way up. You will want to leave enough room in the pan to add the roll-ups without the sauce spilling out.

6. Now you are ready to begin filling the pasta. Lay out strips of the lasagna and put about a 2 to 3 tablespoon scoop of the ricotta filling on each. Using a rubber spatula spread the filling starting at one end to about an inch of the other end of the pasta and then roll the pasta up in the style of a jelly roll. Place the completed rolls in the prepared casserole dish with the seam side down. Once you fill the dish spoon additional sauce over the rolls so that they are covered about 90%. Finally cover the dish with wax paper and foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. If your sauce is still hot this may take a shorter amount of time, the purpose is just to set the filling. Remove the foil and wax paper and top the roll-ups with mozzarella cheese and put back into the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is browned on top. Serve and enjoy. This recipe can be made in advance and even frozen in oven proof containers for quick easy meals.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patience with the roll-ups if you find that they open up on you just insert a toothpick into them until the filling is set. Remove before service.
• If you are going to use this as a meal to freeze omit the mozzarella on top until you are ready to prepare the meal. Also let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as normal.
• You can play with this recipe try placing the rolls on end for a more pleasing presentation if your are using this recipe for a buffet style or pot luck.
• Expect to get a lot of request for this meal.

[chefbob]

on 9/3/2009 Like your recipe. I do the same type using eggplant instead of lasagne noodles.
I flour the eggplant slices and fry them first, makes them flexible.

[johnsoncm]

on 9/3/2009 This looks good. My wife is big into Italian food, so this should go over really well. 5*

[Virtuous1]

on 9/1/2009 This looks like a really good recipe; perfect for a vegetarian too! Thank you for sharing 5 stars and a recommendation!!