Lasagna Roll Ups with Meat Sauce
Lasagna Roll Ups with Meat Sauce are a fun and easy way to serve lasagna! A ricotta and herb mixture are spread on lasagna sheets and rolled up, topped with a meaty beef marinara sauce and lots of cheese and will have everyone going back for seconds.
I was never a big fan of lasagna growing up, but something changed with my taste buds and now it's one of my favorite pasta dishes. Whether it's a traditional lasagna with tomato sauce or a fun butternut squash lasagna, it is so comforting and hits the spot. I've made lasagna rolls before (I have a chicken pesto version and a butternut squash version!) and now I've nailed the Lasagna Roll Ups with Meat Sauce version!
It may seem that this recipe is a little labor intensive at first, once you get the hang of rolling them up, they really aren't too difficult. Bonus: you can make a double batch and freeze one for later. Be sure to see the freezer instructions in the recipe notes.
Tips for Making Lasagna Roll Ups
Pat the lasagna noodles dry before you fill them. If you try spreading ricotta on them while they are wet, it will slip, and rolling them while wet is also more challenging - they are slippery!
If you don't want to make a big 9x13" pan of roll ups, this recipe is easily split in half and made in an 8x8" baking dish. Even better - make two 8x8" dishes and freeze one for later!
To freeze these lasagna roll ups, prepare them all the way up until baking the roll ups. Cover with foil and freeze until you're ready to cook. Once you're ready to make them, thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake according to instructions. Sometimes I need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time of dishes that have been frozen, as the center can still be a little extra cold from the refrigerator.
Use freshly grated cheese. It really is so much better than the pre-shredded!
Ingredients in Lasagna Roll Ups
- Ground Beef - I use lean ground beef in these lasagna roll ups for savory flavor and protein.
- Onion
- Marinara
- Ricotta Cheese
- Italian Seasoning
- Fresh Parsley
- Egg
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lasagna Sheets - you want to use regular lasagna noodles, not the ones that you don't have to boil before using in traditional lasagna.
As you can see, the ingredients are super basic and not complicated at all! Still, these lasagna roll ups with meat sauce are full of flavor and will be a huge hit with the kids AND adults.
How to Make Lasagna Roll Ups with Meat Sauce
As mentioned earlier, these have a few steps to making them, but the steps are all very simple. To start, prepare the meat sauce. Cook the ground beef and onion, and then add the marinara. Next, cook the lasagna noodles to al dente and while you're waiting for the water to heat/noodles to cook, prepare the ricotta filling. The ricotta filling is made by mixing together ricotta cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
Next, assemble the roll ups. I like putting the noodles on a baking sheet to contain the noodles and minimize any mess. Spread ~2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling on each noodle and spread it out evenly. It doesn't need to be exactly 2 tablespoons, but just enough to evenly spread across the lasagna sheet. Top the ricotta mixture with ~1 tablespoon of the meat sauce.
To prepare the baking dish, spread ½ cup of the meat sauce to the bottom of the dish just to lightly cover the bottom and prevent the rolls from sticking. Roll up each lasagna sheet as tight as possible, and place into the prepared baking dish. You can do either the entire recipe in a 9x13" pan or split them into two 8x8" pans, to freeze one for later. Top the roll ups with the remaining meat sauce and cheese and bake, covered in foil, in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is nice and melted.
That's it! Serve and ENJOY!
Lasagna Roll Ups with Meat Sauce
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 white onion diced
- 24 ounce jar marinara
Lasagna
- 12 lasagna sheets
Filling
- 15 ounce ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided use
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Meat Sauce
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until brown, breaking it into small chunks as it cooks.
- Add the onion and cook another 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened.
- Add the marinara and stir well to combine. Remove from heat.
Lasagna Noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente.
Filling
- While the pasta water is heating, make the filling.
- Combine the ricotta, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and parsley, and stir well to combine.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spread ½ cup of the meat sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.
- Lay the al dente lasagna noodles out. I like to put them on a baking sheet to contain the messiness.
- Spread ~2 tablespoon of filling onto each lasagna noodle.
- Spread ~1 tablespoon of the meat sauce on top of the ricotta filling.
- Roll them up into lasagna rolls.
- Place the rolls into the baking dish.
- Spread the remaining meat sauce on top of the rolls, followed by the remaining 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, remove the foil, and bake another 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Freezer Instructions
- Prepare the rolls up to the baking step. Cover and freeze.
- Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
- Bake in 375 degree oven covered in foil for 45 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes.
