The Kitchen Whisperer

Before I continue I must apologize for every Italian Grandma out there.  Lasagna Roll Ups are not blasphemy, k?  I still believe lasagna should be layered and as high as can be however I wanted something more versatile and easy to manage.  No worries, I give much props at the end of this post to the authentic Italian Lasagna!

So for Christmas Mr. Fantabulous initially said he wanted a ham..

… that then turned into a turkey.

… that, thankfully, turned into beef wellington.

…  however Mr. Fantabulous then remembered he’s not a big ‘roast’ fan

… which, literally, the DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS turned into Lasagna.

Now lasagna is super simple.  Noodles, sauce, cheese.  I think the hardest part is handling the hot noodles when you layer it.

HOWEVER… yes, there’s ALWAYS a however in  my kitchen.  This cannot be any simple lasagna.  OH NO.. it has to be at least 10 layers.  Okay I’m not sure if you can have ever really taken a count of how many layers you get in a standard 9×13″ pan.  You’re lucky at *maybe* 5.  Yeah… 5!  And he wants at least 10!  Well the only pan I have that can hold that is 15″x18″ and when filled literally weighs over 30 pounds.  No really… a 30 pound pan of lasagna for 2 people!

But enough about that for now.

When it comes to lasagna and the umpteen layers he requires I’m not a big fan.  Don’t get me wrong as my lasagna is amazing and would make even the Italian-est of Grandma’s proud however I am not a big fan of the whole stuff a bajillion layers of noodles with cheese and sauce.  To me that’s just too heavy.  So after I made his 12-layered lasagna (yes, 12 honkin’ layers) I had about 8 or so leftover cooked lasagna noodles for me.  Now I could have gone the route and made a smaller dish size however I wanted simple.  I ended up making Lasagna Roll ups.  These, to me, are the perfect way to have your lasagna without having all the carbs from the noodles. Plus I think this way you get a better distribution and equalness of cheese and sauce to noodle ratio. So I whipped up a small batch of fill and got to rolling.

For me these are perfect though I did get the how dare you look for straying away from the ‘Italian-way’ from my beloved.  I’ve been making these for years for parties and get-togethers. They are perfectly sized and easy to handle.  You don’t have to worry about your layers flopping over or the middle layers drying out. Just picture how awesome these would be for the big game or your next poker night!

Now some of you may ask “OMG!  TKW are you really giving us your lasagna recipe???”  Sorry folks but no, this isn’t my signature one.  That’s coveted and one of my prized recipes.  This, however, is one that I created specifically for you all.  It’s really, really good though.  If you never had my personal one you’d honestly think this is the best lasagna out there.  But trust me, when I open my bistro you are going to flip out over my own personal recipe.

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Lasagna Roll Ups

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Ingredients

• 12-16 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 12 oz Ricotta Cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
• 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded (reserved for end)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese plus an additional 2 Tbl reserved for end
• 1 Tbl parsley Flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups Italian Gravy or Simple Italian Marinara

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.
3. Cook the lasagna noodles for 8 minutes (just slightly al dente).
4. Set aside to drain.
5. While the lasagna is draining, mix the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, parsley and pepper. Combine well.
6. Ladle 1 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of a ceramic or glass pan. Spread the sauce around. You want about a 1/2-3/4” thick layer.
7. Lay out a noodle and spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture on top.
8. Add a thin layer of marinara sauce next.
9. Starting at the end closest to you, roll the noodle up and place seam side down in the pan.
10. Repeat for the other noodles.
11. Take the remaining sauce and drizzle over top of the shells.
12. Cover with foil and set the pan on a cookie sheet before you put it into the oven.
13. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil.
14. Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
15. Put it back into the oven uncovered for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.
16. Garnish with fresh oregano.
17. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes then serve.

Notes

Now if you wanted you could easily add in 1 cup of thawed, WELL DRAINED, spinach to the cheese mixture and make Florentine Lasagna Roll Ups. You could add thinly diced cooked breaded chicken breasts and make Chicken Parmesan Lasagna Roll Ups.

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