½lbItalian sausage (ground or casings removed) 5 sausages
1onion (finely diced)
1tablespoonminced garlic
1 ½teaspoonssalt
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
3cupsjarred tomato pasta sauce(about 1.5 jars)
¼cupwater
Ricotta filling
2cupsRicotta cheese(450 grams)
½cupfrozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry (100 grams)
¼cupcream
1egg
½cupshredded Parmesan cheese
3cupsshredded Mozzarella cheese divided
Lasagna Roll Ups
12uncooked lasagna noodles
Instructions
Meat Sauce
In a large pan, cook ground beef, Italian sausage, and onion until browned, stirring often. If there is a lot of fat in the pan, drain it before continuing.
Stir in the garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning, and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the pasta sauce and water. Remove from heat to cool slightly. (This can also be made in advance and refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 months)
Ricotta Filling
In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, spinach, cream, egg, Parmesan, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Set aside.
Lasagna Roll Ups
Cook lasagna noodles just until al dente in a large pot of boiling water that's been salted.
Drain and run under cold water to cool quickly.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (if baking right away) and lightly grease a deep 9×13" pan.
Spread just enough meat sauce on the bottom of the pan to create a thin layer.
Lay out cooked lasagna noodles on a cutting board and spread each with ricotta filling (there should be enough that all the noodles get an even layer of cheese) (*Note: this is actually easiest to do with your hands, but don't tell anyone I said that)
Roll up tightly and place in a baking dish. Repeat until all lasagna noodles are used.
Top with the remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
Bake for 15–20 minutes until cheese is beginning to brown (if you prep this ahead and bake from the refrigerator, it will take longer to heat through).
Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Meat: you can substitute almost any ground meat for the beef and sausage here, but keep in mind that the sausage adds significant flavor. Try ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey, but you may want to add extra seasoning for flavor.
Tomato pasta sauce: you'll want to find a seasoned tomato sauce, like a marinara sauce (not plain), which will add additional flavor to the sauce.
Ricotta: no ricotta? Experiment! Try some herb-and-garlic cream cheese or Boursin in its place.
Spinach: I like to use frozen, thawed spinach, but you can also use finely chopped fresh spinach.
Prep AheadThis recipe can easily be made ahead and stored for later.
Refrigerator: Make the recipe completely, but do not bake. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking and serving. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Freezer: Make completely, cover, and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw completely before baking.
Storage
Store: Store baked and cooled lasagna roll-ups in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or covered with foil in the oven until cooked through.
Freeze: I'd recommend freezing these lasagna roll-ups before baking them. Defrost thoroughly before baking.