Lasagna Rolls - Worthy of a Standing Ovation

I have had a recipe dog-eared in Giada's Family Dinners that I have been wanting to try for Lasagna Rolls (recipe to follow).  Our family loves pasta and especially a good lasagna.  This take on the everyday Italian favorite did not disappoint, and I got my first dinner standing ovation!

RECIPE:  LASAGNA ROLLS

Ingredients:

Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce (or make: Giada's Quick Marinara Sauce)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions:
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread a large spoonful (about 3 tablespoons worth) of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.  (Courtesy of Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis)

I made these for Meatless Monday, so I omitted the prosciutto, which I did not miss at all.  I am sure adding it would be even more yummy.  I don't keep whole milk on hand, so I used low-fat milk and skim ricotta.  I think the recipe worked fine, and this helped make it a little more calorie friendly.

I definitely encourage laying your noodles out on a baking sheet, which will keep them from sticking to each other.  Assembly was really easy.  I used a tablespoon to add 3 tablespoons in 3 dollops at the top, middle, and bottom of each noodle.  I then spread them and rolled them.  Easy and fun.

I highly recommend making your own marinara sauce.  I made Giada's Quick Marinara Sauce, which is a quick and easy way to make homemade sauce.  When serving this dish, have some marinara on the table for adding to baked rolls (or dipping bread in). It makes about 6 cups of sauce, so we had enough leftover that tonight we are going to have spaghetti with meatballs using the leftover marinara sauce (keep an eye out for the next post).

These were fun, delicious, and a family friendly meal.  Like I mentioned at the beginning, at the end of the meal, Walter and the boys stood, and clapped because they loved these so much.  I have been asked to keep this marked as they expect me to make it again.  I will definitely do so, and this is one of those recipes I really wouldn't change a thing.