Lasagna Roll-Ups recipe - a faster, easier version of lasagna. These cheesy, saucy lasagna rolls make a great make-ahead or freezer meal dinner.
Lasagna is my husband's favorite dinner, so you would think that we would have it pretty regularly. But we don't.
The biggest reason that we don't have it more often is the baking time. I'm usually trying to get dinner on the table as quickly as possible, and the hour or so of baking time plus the prep time is just too long for weeknight dinners.
That's where these lasagna roll-ups come in.
The prep time is about the same, but they bake in about thirty minutes. They seem a little fancier than regular lasagna, too, which makes them perfect company meal.
Also, this is a great meal to double up on and stash the second pan in the freezer for another night's dinner.
What are lasagna roll ups?
Rather than using the lasagna noodles in layers, lasagna roll ups have a layer of lasagna filling rolled up in a lasagna noodle.
The roll up is topped with sauce and cheese to make a little individual lasagna roll.
How to make lasagna roll ups
Brown the ground beef. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, basil, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together ricotta, Italian cheese, and egg.
Spoon ⅓ of the beef sauce into pan. Lay cooked lasagna noodles flat and top with ⅓ cup cheese mixture.
Roll noodles up and place seam-side down in pan on top of sauce.
Cover rolls with remaining sauce. Cover pan with greased foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with mozzarella, and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
Can you freeze lasagna roll ups?
Absolutely! Lasagna roll-ups freeze really well.
I almost always double the recipe, and I make a second pan for the freezer when I make up a batch of these roll-ups. It just takes a few extra minutes to make a second pan, but then I have a second dinner ready and waiting in the freezer.
How to freeze
I like to use a foil pan so that all of my pans don't end up in the freezer. I make the roll-ups through step 10.
I let the roll-ups cool to room temperature. Then, I cover the pan with plastic wrap and then wrap it tightly with aluminum foil.
Also, I don't sprinkle the rolls with mozzarella cheese if freezing.
How to cook from frozen
Move to fridge to thaw about 24 hours before you'd like to bake the roll-ups. Remove plastic wrap.
Grease foil and re-cover the roll-ups with greased foil. Bake thawed roll-ups as directed starting from step 12, adding additional baking time as needed.
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Lasagna Roll-Ups
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon dried sweet basil
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- 15 ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 cups grated Italian blend cheese
- 1 large egg
- 12 lasagna noodles (cooked)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Cook beef in large skillet over medium heat 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is no longer pink; drain and return to pan.
- Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, basil, and salt. Taste, and add more salt as needed.
- In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, Italian cheese, and egg.
- Spoon one-third of the beef mixture into 9x13-inch pan.
- Lay cooked noodles out flat on nonstick surface like parchment paper.
- Spread each noodle with about ⅓ cup of cheese mixture.
- Roll noodles up, and place seam side down in pan.
- Cover noodle rolls with remaining beef sauce.
- Cover pan with foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle top of lasagna rolls with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Return to oven for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Video
Notes
- To make-ahead, I make the rolls through step 11, and then I cover and chill them for a few hours until ready to bake. I pull the pan out of the fridge while the oven preheats and then bake as directed, adding additional baking time as needed.
- To freeze the lasagna roll-ups, prepare through step 10. Cover with plastic wrap and then (ungreased) foil. Move to fridge to thaw about 24 hours before you'd like to bake the roll-ups. Remove plastic wrap. Grease foil and re-cover the roll-ups with greased foil. Bake thawed roll-ups as directed, adding additional baking time as needed.
- Nutrition facts have been estimated.
Nutrition Information
Originally published 6/9/12. Last updated 9/16/20.
Lisa
Delicious! I make a double batch of this and freeze half. Thanks for the easy recipe!