Lasagna Roll-Ups for Presto Pasta Nights!

I am a big...slash that (I would do it myself, but I haven't quite figured out how to do that on here)...huge lasagna lover! Meaty, veggie, white, seafood, spinach, eggplant, super-cheesy (oh yeah)...throw any of them at me and I can pretty much guarantee I'll eat it; eat it with gusto! I did come across a mighty tasty looking recipe for Lasagna Roll-Ups over at Cooking Tip of the Day a while ago and knew that this recipe and I would become fast friends. The nice thing about it is that (like the big pan of lasagna), there are so many ways to change it around and make it into a whole new meal. I've adapted it to fit my tastes for the evening (and my fridge & pantry supplies). Go on over to visit Linda and see how she made it, too! Lasagna Roll-Ups 

 from girlichef's kitchen (adapted from a recipe by Linda of Cooking Tip of the Day) 

yield: 10 roll-ups

 

Meat Sauce:

1 lb. ground beef

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed (or minced if you don't like biting into those big bites of garlic like I do)

~1/4 c. Italian Seasoning (or to taste)

1 (28 oz) can Whole Tomatoes w/ their juices

1 (8 oz) can Tomato Sauce

1 Bay Leaf

Sea Salt & Black Pepper- to taste

 

Remaining Ingredients:

10 Lasagna Noodles (the old-fashioned, wavy-edged kind)

1 (15 oz.) container Ricotta cheese (or homemade)

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbs. Italian Seasoning

1 (8 oz) ball fresh Mozzarella (put in freezer, then grated) ...or pre-shredded

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

First, get your meat sauce going. Brown ground beef; drain off fat. To the ground beef in the pan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir until slightly softened. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce & bay leaf. Mix well. Once the sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat and continue to simmer until ready to use in the recipe (~20 minutes or so). Season w/ salt & pepper to taste.

Cook noodles according to package direction (al dente). Drain and lay them out to dry (on a cookie rack or just on the cutting board).

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, garlic powder and Italian seasoning; mix well.

Lightly spray a large cutting board (or counter surface) with cooking spray. Lay out your noodles. Spoon ~2 heaping Tbs of cheese mixture onto each noodle. Spread the mixture down the center of the noodle, staying off of the wavy edges.

Next, spread a scant 1/4 c. of meat sauce over the cheese.

Pick an end and gently roll the noodle up, carefully holding edges to keep it straight and keep the filling inside. It's a bit messy, but you can always lick your fingers...and the counter...when you're done.

Place rolls side by side into the prepared pan, seam side down.

Spread remaining meat sauce evenly over the top of the roll-ups, taking care to cover up most of the exposed noodle, so that it won't dry out. If you're anything like me though, you'll purposely leave a few edges exposed to get some of those yummy, crispy noodle edges! Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover with foil that is SPRAYED WITH PAN SPRAY on the inside!!! This will keep the cheese from sticking and coming off (tragic!) when you remove the foil.

Bake for ~30 minutes or until it is bubbly and cheese is melted! Remove foil and place back in oven to brown cheese (or if you are hungry and impatient like we were...just take it out and dish it up!).

Let it sit to cool for ~5 minutes or so, then scoop out one (or two) Roll-Ups per person. Sprinkle with some parsley to garnish. Isn't this what the Olive Garden called Rollatini???I am also submitting to to Joanne of Eats Well With Others, the host of this weeks Presto Pasta Nights

(#122)! It is my first time entering PPN, though I've been telling myself I would do it numerous times over the past 3 months or so. I don't know why, but every time I made a noodle of some sort, I always forgot about it. But not this time brain! Must be that Ginkgo tree I parked under at the library earlier today ;).

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*Update 12/29/10:I am sharing this w/ the 12 Days of Bloggie-mas!