I love my lasagna and didn't really think that I'd find anything I liked better. I'd seen numerous post with various lasagna roll-ups but they didn't make me want to run out and try them. But they did inspire me to turn my own lasagna into a roll up and I have to say OMG good!!!! I served it up with some home made cheesy garlic bread and was in heaven!! This recipe makes about 15 roll-ups. Good for big family gatherings. It would be easy to scale down or go ahead and make them up and freeze the rolls for a quick supper later on. It is a little time consuming but well worth it for the taste. These hold together so much better than regular lasagna, you just can't beat them.
Ingredients:
1 box (1lb) lasagna noodles boiled
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 8 oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 8 oz bag shredded cheddar cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
abt 1/2 pound browned ground beef
abt 1/2 pound browned Italian sausage (I only use Gianelli hot Italian)
2 cans of Hunts spaghetti sauce (24 oz cans)
I use a 9x13 casserole dish and am able to get 9 roll-ups in it comfortably.
First add half a can of sauce to the casserole dish to cover the bottom.
You're going to need a clean flat surface to put your roll ups together. Spread a lasagna noodle out flat. Spoon a thin layer of ricotta down the noodle leaving about half an inch on each end to roll. Next sprinkle some shredded cheese thinly over the ricotta, the cheddar over that and sprinkle Parmesan over that. (You can honestly say it's a four cheese lasagna.)
I mix my ground beef and sausage together in a bowl just make sure it's finally ground/crumbled after cooked. You want small pieces. Crumble this down the length of the noodle over the cheese. Next, I drizzle a small amount of the sauce down the length over the meat and then we're ready to roll.
Starting at one end roll your noodle. Expect a bit of your filling to find it's way out of the side of your noodle as your rolling. (I don't think you're doing it right if you don't make a bit of a mess.) You want it tight enough that it's going to hold it's shape, but be careful not to get it so tight it rips your noodle apart.
Place your lasagna roll in the dish with the sauce, and you're ready to make the next one. Once your dish is filled, cover the roll ups with the remaining sauce (I sprinkled on some more Parmesan over the top,) and you are ready to bake-you'll want your oven preheated to 450 degrees.
Cover the pan with tin foil, slightly tenting it over the roll ups so that it is not touching. Bake for about 35 minutes remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each one and replace in oven just long enough for cheese to melt. For appearances before serving sprinkle a little Italian seasoning over the top and enjoy!! They are definitely worth the time and energy!!
To freeze: just add the roll ups (without the sauce) to a freezer bag and you've got yourself a fast easy meal later on.
