Lasagna Roll-Ups

When I offered to prepare something for Darlene’s birthday party, one of the items requested was lasagna.  I love to make lasagna and I love to eat lasagna, but I always feel like it’s awkward to serve at a buffet dinner.  If the lasagna is warm and the cheese is gooey, you carefully cut a piece and the lasagna begins to ooze and run.  If you wait until it sets, it’s barely warm enough to eat.  So several years ago, I came up with the idea of Lasagna Roll-Ups. 

I use the same ingredients as in my lasagna, but I create individual portions for easy plating.

Ingredients:

§     2 jars store bought or 8 cups of homemade tomato sauce

§     1 16-ounce box lasagna noodles

§     4 cups ricotta cheese

§     1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

§     3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

§     2 large eggs

§     1 teaspoon dry oregano

§     1 teaspoon garlic powder

§     salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl, mix the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, eggs, oregano, garlic powder and salt and set aside.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Fill a bowl with salted ice water.  Remove the pasta from the boiling water and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. 

Drain the pasta and spread on a clean towel or cutting board in a single layer.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.   Coat the bottom of the baking dish with a ladle or two of sauce.  Spread 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cheese filling down the center of each lasagna sheet and loosely roll up.  Transfer to the baking dish and repeat with the remaining noodles.  

Cover with 2 to 3 cups of sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered until the lasagna rolls are heated through. 

Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese over the rolls and return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

Serve with a bowl of warm sauce. For a printer friendly copy of this recipe, go to Lasagna Roll-Ups. Enjoy!