Italian Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
Meat Sauce:
- ½ cup chopped yellow or white onion
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Ricotta Filling:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese, or a 15 ounce container
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, (reserving 1/2 cup for topping)
- 4 ounces Parmesan cheese finely grated, about 1 1/2 - 2 cups (reserving 1/4 cup for topping)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Noodles:
- 12 traditional lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the onion, garlic, ground turkey or beef, salt and pepper, breaking the meat into small pieces. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and thyme and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- While the sauce is simmering, boil the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain the noodles, rinse quickly under cold water and then lay the noodles flat in a single layer on waxed or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, egg, basil, parsley, mozzarella cheese (remember to set aside 1/2 cup of the mozzarella for topping later), Parmesan cheese (remember to set aside 1/4 cup of the Parmesan for later also), salt and pepper.
- Gently spread a heaping spoonful of the ricotta filling down the center of each noodle. It doesn't have to cover the entire noodle, just press it into a somewhat even layer. The filling will be divided up evenly over all 12 noodle (I don't start rolling up the noodles until I've used up all the filling so I can add more to each noodle if need be). Spread a tablespoon or two of the red sauce down the center of each noodle on top of the creamy filling. Again, it doesn't need to be perfectly even, just drizzle/spread it across the top.
- Spread about one cup or so of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Working with one lasagna noodle at a time, roll the noodle (see pictures below) and place seam-side down in the baking dish in four rows of three. Spread the remaining sauce over the noodles, sprinkle with the reserved cheeses and cover with aluminum foil that has been lightly coated with cooking spray (so it doesn't stick to the cheese as it bakes). Bake, covered for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let the lasagna rolls rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
To Freeze This Meal: prepare and assemble the dish in the prepared pan and cover with the lightly greased foil. Freeze. When ready to bake, pop the pan in the oven as it preheats to 350 degrees. Bake covered for about 80-90 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20-30 minutes until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the edges of the casserole are hot and bubbly.