Want to add a little freshness, switch up your regular ol' lasagna recipe? THESE are it! Three cheese lasagna roll ups recipe are so much fun! I love the individual servings they make, the freshness from the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and herbs. My ENTIRE family (and that's saying something) goes nuts over these babies.
HOW TO MAKE THIS LASAGNA ROLL UPS RECIPE?
Lasagna roll ups are or can be just the same as your regular lasagna recipe! The Difference is that we are individually wrapping the ingredients up into one savory delicious roll! This recipe is for caprese roll ups. It tastes like homemade marinara with the fresh tomatoes and basil.
Serve it with these amazing Cheesy Garlic Stuffed Bread and your dinner will be a HIT!
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT LASANGA NOOODLES
ANY pasta you are boiling follow the directions on the box for al dente time. It's as easy as that! No guessing needed. If a box says boil for 8-10 minutes- boil for 8. Keep it on the shorter end because the noodles will be cooking more as they bake.
NOODLE PRO TIPS:
- Salt the water before adding pasta! This will enhance you pasta's flavor.
- Rinse with cold water, or add a little oil to the water to keep from sticking. Normally I dont do this with my pasta- becuase the starches on pasta after cooking help the sauce to adhere to the noodles, HOWEVER Because I will be letting the noodles cool and handling them I like to rinse them with cold water or toss in a little bit of oil to prevent them from sticking and tearing.
HOW TO MAKE THE RICOTTA LAYER:
I love to add loads of flavor right here in this layer. Because the pasta overall is a calm flavor in this ricotta later I'm going to add a punch of flavor with fresh basil and also sneak in a little veggies with spinach and, of course Parmesan cheese!
WHY DO I ADD AN EGG TO RICOTTA?
Adding an egg to your Ricotta will not change the flavor or make anything more fluffy. The reason we add an egg is because it helps to bind the cheese in the layers so when you cut into the lasagna it doesn't all slide out.
WHAT DO I NEED FOR THIS LASAGNA ROLL UP RECIPE?
Now that your noodles are boiled, your ricotta is mixed you will also need
- THINLY sliced tomatoes (as many as you want really!)
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Marinara sauce
- Fresh mozzarella cheese
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PAN NON-STICK
Before we roll up the lasagna noodles we need a place to put them. Spread sauce on the bottom of your pan so the noodles will not stick!
STEPS TO MAKING LASAGNA ROLL UPS
Lay our your lasagna noodles flat on a clean surface. I like to lay out 3-5 at a time.
- Add a hefty spoonful (about ¼ cup) of ricotta mixture onto the middle of the noodle
- spread it evenly on noodle surface
- Add sliced tomatoes- you can add just 1, you can add 4- just evenly place them across the noodle surface like you did the ricotta!
- Add Mozzarella cheese!
Starting at one end, curl the edge around and start rolling up. There is a lot of deliciousness in those roll ups so support them so it doesn't fall out.
Depending on the size of your pan will determine how many you can fit into it. In an average 9x13 pan I can fit about 12 roll ups. This pan I'm using is a little larger than a 9x13.
Top with your favorite marinara sauce! spread it evenly covering all the edges and surfaces.
Now for the best part! Add loads of FRESH MOZZARELLA to the tops.
WHAT MOZZARELLA DO I USE?
Fresh mozzarella is packed into water or is really wet, unlike your typical shredded mozzarella in a bag. We are using both for this recipe, however for the top we are only using fresh. you can buy fresh mozzarella in small balls, logs or block. For this recipe I found using the pre-sliced log was easiest.
You can typically find fresh mozzarella by the specialty cheeses.
HOW LONG DO I COOK LASAGNA
Cook lasagna until the internal temp is 165 degrees. I love to cover my lasagna with foil for about 20-30 minutes - especially because I'm using fresh mozz, to keep the cheese from browning and drying out too much. I remove the foil for the last 15 minutes and let it bubble just slightly.
I love to top or garnish with loads more fresh spinach!!
ONE more thing. This french bread will blow your mind at how EASY and how delicious it is. I mean seriously, EASY. EASY EASY EASY.
HEY, FRIENDS!
Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 1 box lasagna noodles you may only only use about 10-12 noodles, or you can stretch the cheese mixture thinner and make a second, smaller pan
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 14 ounces ricotta cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 15 big basil leaves chopped
- 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
- 2-3 thinly sliced campari tomatoes
- 2 cup mozzarella
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb ground turkey or beef for meat sauce
- 2 cloves minced garlic for meat sauce
- ½ med onion for meat sauce
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- 1 fresh mozzarella log
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package, drain and set aside. (to help with sticking toss with a little EVOO or rinse with cold water)
- In a separate pan-ground meat, garlic and onion together. drain grease and add marinara sauce. allow sauce to simmer while you roll lasagna.
- Chop basil and spinach then In a large bowl combine egg, parmesan cheese, spinach, basil, salt, pepper
- To assemble roll-ups scoop heaping spoonfuls (about ¼-1/3) of cheese mixture onto lasagna noodles. Lay a sliced tomato (or two-4) and roll.
- Place a bit of sauce (about ½ cup) on the bottom a 9x13 pan, next place lasagna roll-ups, seam side down- side by side in the pan. because of the tomatoes they are kind of large, its ok if they are a little snug.
- Cover with meat sauce and fresh mozzarella
- Bake covered 350 for 20-25 minutes remove cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until internal temp is 165
Jessica says
This looks delicious. I just wanted to let you know the description of the recipe has shredded mozzarella added before the roll up but that is not listed in the actual recipe that we would print.
Erin V says
Consider my mind bLOWN