Lasagna Rolls

It seems like lately I have "seen" lasagna rolls mentioned everywhere. In a book. On a friend's blog. On Pinterest.

I LOVE lasagna, but I just don't make it often. It isn't usually as loved by my family as me. It can be a lot of work. And we usually prefer mostaccioli which is easier and just as tasty.

But when I kept seeing these recipes, I was intrigued. And hungry.

So I decided to make some, using a combination of recipes.

And they were good. I wanted several. But I only ate one (stupid calories).

They were fairly well received by the family. The boys ate them right up, the girls weren't as enthusiastic.

It really wasn't any less work than making lasagna itself.

What I did like though was that I could "customize" them.

Since I am watching calories, I put two in a separate dish (picture two) and just topped with a little spaghetti sauce. For the rest of the family, I baked them in a bigger dish with beef and spaghetti sauce. (picture one)

And I like the idea of making them ahead of time, like on Pillsbury's site. That way on days I need a quick lunch or dinner for me, I could just take them out of the freezer/fridge, pop them in the microwave, and enjoy.

Anyway, here is my version:
Ingredients
8 lasagna noodles
1 12 oz. container ricotta cheese (I am sure the cottage cheese Pillsbury uses is lower fat but I did use the light ricotta...I just like ricotta)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan (using my little rotary grater, love that thing)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup parsley (I am sure fresh is good but I only had dried)
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 pound (or less) ground beef, browned

Directions
Cook lasagna noodles according to directions. Drain and let cool slightly.

Mix together cheeses, egg, parsley, and basil.

Spoon mixture down the center of lasagna noodles. Start at end and "roll" the lasagna noodle.

Place in a greased baking dish.

Mix together spaghetti sauce and ground beef.

Pour over lasagna rolls.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

The one thing I didn't do that I would do differently is cover the dish with aluminum foil to help the noodles not covered by sauce not dry out.

The last few minutes, I topped with a little added Mozzarella cheese.

I served them with the rosemary rolls I mentioned in the last post.

Pretty tasty!
(According to Pillsbury's site, you can make them ahead, sans sauce, and refrigerate or freeze them. When ready to eat, place roll seam side down in a bowl and cover with wax paper. Heat in the microwave on high 1-2 minutes, then spoon about 1/4 cup sauce over roll and cook for about 30 more seconds. If frozen, cook on low for 1-2 minutes to thaw then follow the same procedure)

Happy cooking!
Reba