Lasagna Rolls

Pasta, pasta, pasta, pasta! Oh how I heart thee!

No but seriously, I could eat pasta every day of my life and never get bored. Lasagna is up there on my list as all time favs, however with it being so hot lately, I was not in the mood to have my oven on for an hour or longer. Insert Lasagna rolls. Same gooey goodness of lasagna, just not as long in prep and light on the tummy.  I snagged this recipe from Pennies on a Platter, which she adapted from Giada from the Food Network. Trust your stomach will be glad for this present. (All my swine-free, avoid the prosciutto and use turkey Italian sausage in its place).

Here are some pics as I was going along to give you an idea of how it should look. I added more marinara than recipe called for but was still delish. I love sauce so use more or less to your liking.I served with Pizza Bread from Pickie Palate. Eat up!!!

Cheese mixture

Filling before rolled

the bechamel sauce was a great addition

All ready to go in oven. I was so excited to eat I forgot a picture at end of whole pan.

Giada’s Lasagna Rolls

Printable Recipe

Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.

Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle.

Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll.

Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.

Spoon 1 cup marinara over rolls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

Ciao!!!