Lasagna Roll Ups

Lasagna is probably my favorite dish of all. I love the pasta, the cheeses, the meaty sauce.. it's all so good. I cook for only two people which makes it difficult to make a whole lasagna because half of it ends up going to waste. Because of this we don't get to enjoy my favorite dish very often. That is until I came across this very simple version.

Lasagna roll ups are an excellent way to enjoy lasagna. I love how simple they were to make, I love that the individual portions make serving very easy, and most of all I love that they can be individually frozen and reheated.

To make this recipe healthier I would use whole wheat lasagna (too bad I didn't have any) and ground turkey (both of which I normally substitute in recipes that call for pasta/meat). If you can find italian style ground turkey use it, it tastes great in this dish. I also used store-bought spaghetti sauce (one of the very few things I don't make myself). We went with Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce. It's definitely our favorite sauce to use, it has a fantastic flavor and nice chunks of peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms...everything!

I really liked making lasagna this way, and I plan on sticking to it! :)

Lasagna Roll Ups-

(Adapted from Homemade By Holman)

8-10 lasagna noodles - Depends on how full you make them. I was able to fill 9.

1 lb. lean ground turkey

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1-24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. When it reaches a boil, salt liberally and drop in noodles. Stir occasionally and cook to just al dente; about 7 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add turkey and cook til brown. When almost cooked through, add about ½ cup of spaghetti sauce and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of each the basil and oregano, and ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes; stir to combine.

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl. Add ricotta, Parmesan, ½ cup mozzarella and remaining basil and oregano; stir together. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Add enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.

To assemble, on a drained noodle, evenly spread a spoonful of cheese mixture. Top with a spoonful of meat sauce and roll up tightly. Place seam side down in pan. Continue until you've used all of the fillings. Top each with a little more meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining crushed red pepper flakes. Bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Tips:
   * Be sure not to over cook the pasta. You want it to just be al dente, the pasta needs to be slightly firm to make up for baking time.
   * Lasagna is great because the recipe doesn't need to be exact. You can leave the meat out if you'd like, and you can change up the measurements of any of the cheeses to suit your taste. Don't be afraid to swap cottage cheese for ricotta. You can also use as little or as much sauce as you'd like
   * These roll ups can be made ahead of time. Just freeze cooled roll ups in a tightly sealed container, then blast in the microwave for a couple minutes for a quick meal!

Enjoy! :)