Lasagna is one of my favorite things, but waiting an hour and a half for it to cook isn’t always in the cards. These lasagna rolls have a shorter cooking time, and they’re fun to make with kids! I like that the filling includes spinach so I don’t have to make a separate vegetable, but of course you can leave it out.
Lasagna Roll-Ups
Cooking time: 45-60 minutes
Serves: 4-6
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: use gluten-free lasagna noodles
Dairy free: use dairy-free mozzarella; use tofu instead of ricotta (try this recipe!)
Kids Can Help
Open containers, crack the egg, make the ricotta mixture, squeeze out the spinach, spread mixture & roll noodles up
Ingredients
8-10 lasagna noodles (don't use the oven-ready kind!) Plan on 2-3 noodles per adult and 1 per child
1 15 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese
8 oz (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups frozen spinach (enough for about ½ cup thawed and drained)
1 24 oz jar marinara sauce (I like Bertolli or Rao's)
Tools
Large pot with lid
9x13 baking dish
Medium-sized mixing bowl
Spatula
Colander
Large plate or cutting board for assembling the rolls
Tinfoil
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the water only needs to be about 5-6 inches high to cook the noodles). Add the noodles and allow to soften, pushing them further into the water as they become pliable. Cook, fully submerged, for 8-10 minutes or until just fork-tender. While the noodles are cooking, move on to steps 3-5.
Step 3
Spread 1 ½ cups of sauce around the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Step 4
Thaw the spinach by microwaving or by soaking in a few cups of hot water. Drain and squeeze out excess water.
Step 5
Make the ricotta mixture: combine ricotta, egg, salt, spinach, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
Step 6
Once the noodles are tender, drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch; drain again.
Step 7
Lay noodles out lengthwise on a plate or cutting board and spread about 1/4 cup of the ricotta and spinach mixture evenly over each one. Roll up the lasagna noodles and place in the 9x13 pan on top of the layer of sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce over each lasagna roll and sprinkle evenly with the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.
Step 8
Cover with tinfoil and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the rolls reach 165 degrees in the center. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
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