Lasagna roll ups are lasagna noodles filled with cheese filling and topped with a meaty red sauce. They're perfectly portioned for dinners and meal prep for the week!
Do you love dishes like lasagna and ravioli casserole? These lasagna roll ups are made with all the same ingredients, but in a fun, new format. Lasagna noodles are spread with cheese, then rolled up into individual portions.
While a traditional lasagna can be tedious to assemble with many layers, lasagna roll ups are fast and easy to prepare in minutes. Plus they're simple to serve and don't require any messy slicing!
Serve lasagna roll ups with some cheesy garlic bread and a garden salad for a complete meal. It's great for a weeknight family dinner or meal prep for the whole week.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Lasagna - Regular, long lasagna noodles work best for this recipe.
- Marinara sauce - Use your favorite jar of store bought marinara sauce, or your favorite homemade marinara sauce if desired.
- Ricotta - Original ricotta or low fat ricotta works in this recipe.
- Beef - I recommend 85/15 or 90/10 beef for this recipe to prevent the sauce from getting overly greasy. If using a higher fat content beef, I recommend draining grease after cooking and before continuing with the recipe.
- Egg - One egg helps bind the cheese filling together.
- Onion and garlic - Adds flavor to the sauce.
- Oil - Olive oil can be substituted with your favorite cooking oil.
- Seasoning - Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper add mild, savory flavor to the cheese filling. Italian seasoning can be store bought or homemade (try my Italian seasoning recipe).
- Cheeses - A combination of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses add melty, salty flavor to the lasagna rolls. I recommend grating your cheese from a block rather than using packaged, pre-shredded cheeses, which are often coated in anti-clumping powders that add a grainy texture.
Tips and tricks
Cook to 1 minute shy of al dente - Cook your lasagna noodles to 1 minute shy of al dente (according to the pasta's package directions). This helps prevent your pasta from falling apart while rolling. The pasta also continues to soak up liquid as it bakes, preventing a watery casserole.
Pan size - Use a 9x13 casserole dish (just like you'd use for a traditional lasagna) for this recipe.
Assemble quickly - Rinse, pat dry, and assemble your noodles quickly after boiling. If they're left to sit for too long, they'll become difficult to work with and sticky.
Storage
Leftover lasagna roll ups will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and reheat well in the microwave.
While lasagna roll ups can be frozen, dairy products tend to get watery when thawed and the texture will change slightly.
Frequently asked questions
Lasagna rolls can be served on their own (multiple rolls per person) for a complete meal. I also like to serve them with cheesy garlic bread and a garden salad.
No. The purpose of no-boil noodles is for assembling a regular lasagna casserole without the need for boiling. We need pliable, cooked noodles for lasagna roll ups, so no-boil noodles wouldn't work for this recipe.
It depends on the person, but one lasagna roll is generally a light serving and two lasagna rolls is a heartier serving. This also depends on whether you're serving additional sides with your lasagna roll ups.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Lasagna Rolls Ups
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounces ground beef
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup parmesan
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.
- In a pot of salted boiling water, cook lasagna noodles to 1 minute shy of al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until lasagna noodles are easy to handle.
- While noodles are cooking, prepare filling. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil. Add onions and cook until browned around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Crumble ground beef into pan. Use a spatula to break up the beef into small crumbles while cooking. Cook beef until browned and cooked through.
- Remove pan from heat and add marinara sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.
- To a bowl, add ricotta, half of the mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Pour about 1 cup of the marinara sauce mixture into your prepared 9x13 dish and spread into an even layer. Set aside.
- Lay out lasagna noodles on a flat surface. Add a scant ¼ cup of the cheese mixture to each noodle and spread it edge to edge. Roll the noodles up and place into the prepared casserole dish.
- Pour remaining marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle with reserved mozzarella cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted across the top and casserole is bubbling around the edges.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage: Leftovers will keep for about 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator and reheat well.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!