Lazy Day Lasagna Rolls

It's crazy how the weather is affecting different parts of our nation lately. 

Colder in Texas than in Anchorage, AK? Say what?

Today we woke up to it being -3 with a windchill factor making it -18. By the time I left for lunch it was -22F. 

So...yeah, it's darn cold out there folks. 

But this easy take on a classic comfort food is just whats in order for the day. 

Instead of layering it all in a large deep pan, these babies are all flat and filled and then rolled up individually. Not only is this an easy method to prep, prepare and serve, it makes it so convenient for determining portions.

I needed to prepare a large amount for a potluck. I put 12 rolls in a large baking dish and prepped the other 8 in a smaller dish, that I then froze for a super easy meal for my family at another time!!

You can portion these how ever it works for your family, and you can microwave or pop them in the oven as needed. 

SWEET!!

I made my own sauce, but for convenience sake you certainly can use your favorite brand of prepared sauce. I also show using cottage cheese, because it's a more readily available and cheaper option than ricotta where I live, but use whichever you prefer. 

   

Start by prepping your sauce, the cheese filling and then par boiling the pasta. 

Spray a dish with non stick spray and ladle in about 3/4 cup of sauce and tilt to spread. On waxed paper or directly on the counter lay out all the cooled noodles. 

Spread a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling on each one and spread, then drizzle with a little sauce and roll up. 

Place in the dish slightly apart and cover with more sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.

At this point you can cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes in a 350F oven OR pop it into your frig or freezer for later. Be sure and remove the foil 3/4's of the way through reheating and you may to to add another 15-20 minutes to a frozen dish. 

Serve on a bed of more sauce and voila!

Ingredients:
Sauce-
 1 lb ground beef
 1 small onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 28 oz can whole or crushed tomatoes
1 24 iz jar or can of Marinara or Spaghetti sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano and basil

Cheese Filling-
2 cups small curd cottage cheese or Ricotta
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (minced)--opt.
¼ teaspoon onion powder
12 lasagna noodles (par-cooked 9 minutes)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion and garlic until the beef is browned.Add tomatoes, oregano, sauce, salt and herbs. Simmer for 10 minutes. (I used a stick blender to smooth out my sauce so there weren't any big chunks of meat, like restaurants do!)
2. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil, add 2 tsp. of kosher salt and boil the lasagna noodles until al dente, about 9-10 minutes. Drain and reserve. When cool lay on clean counter or wax paper.
3. Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of a greased 11x 13 (2-3 qt.)  baking dish. 
4. In a bowl combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley and onion powder. I blended mine in a food processor.
5. Spread a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle. Drizzle with sauce and roll up and place seam side down in rows in the baking dish. 
6. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce each. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and more Parmesan if desired (who says no to cheese??!!)
7. Bake in the oven at 350F degrees for 25-30 minutes. 
8. About 5-10 minutes before the dish is finished cooking remove the foil. Return to oven and cook until cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!  

 

This recipe is adapted from:Nikki-Chef In Training

 Enjoy!! 

This recipe is shared on My Link Parties

Also shared on Weekend Potluck 
and FoodieFriendsFriday