Classic Lasagna Rolls

If you've visited my blog before you might have noticed that I have a thing for lasagna rolls. While I love lasagna in it's traditional form, I think rolls are just more versatile for weeknight meals.

These rolls have a traditional meat sauce and ricotta/mozzarella cheese filling. I basically took my classic lasagna recipe and adjusted it a bit with terrific results!

When assembling the rolls, I like to leave about a one inch space on each end to make rolling them up a little easier.

For me the best thing about this recipe...besides the fact that they are delicious and everyone loves them...is that you can easily bake half now and freeze the other half for later. Which is exactly what I did. Six rolls were perfect for my family...2 per adult and one per child.

Lasagna rolls with a simple salad and garlic bread (recipe coming soon)= perfect family dinner.


Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
12 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 eggs
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package. Once cooked, lay them out in a single layer on wax paper.

In a skillet over medium heat season ground beef with the salt and pepper. Brown the meat and drain. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions soften, about 5-8 min. Then add the Spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, oregano and basil. Lower the heat to med-low and cook for 15 minutes.

Combine half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan and ricotta cheeses in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, parsley, salt and pepper, then mix until all ingredients are combined.

Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan with 1 cup of the meat sauce or just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay out a lasagna noodle and spoon about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture down the noodle. Top with 1/4 cup of meat sauce. Roll the lasagna noodle and place it seem side down in the pan. Continue with the rest of the rolls. Finish by topping with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*Make Ahead Directions: Prepare recipe as directed above but do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap first and then with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 2 months. Before cooking remove plastic wrap. You will need to allow additional baking time for refrigerated and frozen lasagna.

Source: Chef Mommy