Week 31: Recipe #4--Lasagna Roll Ups

I found these on Pinterest, and they are from a blog called Life as a Lofthouse (see link below).  They were really good, and much easier to make than regular lasagna.  Plus, I love the portion control!  The recipe calls for 1/2 lb. ground beef, but I left that out and went meatless.  They were still very tasty.  I served these with a Caesar salad and applesauce.  Makes 9 roll ups.

Photo from Life as a Lofthouse

You'll Need:

• 1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I was out of this and instead used monterey jack...surprisingly, no one could tell the difference!)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 (24 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef (I left this out)
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (again I used monterey jack)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together the first seven ingredients (parmesan cheese to garlic powder) in a large bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge while preparing noodles and sauce.
2. In a large pot of water, boil lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain water, and gently lay out noodles onto wax paper.  (Don't let noodles touch because they might stick together.)
3. Meanwhile, cook hamburger meat in a large skillet until brown.  Drain grease.  Pour in spaghetti sauce and cook until mixture is thoroughly heated, 5-10 minutes.  (Because I left out the meat, I was able to skip this part, cutting down the cooking time significantly.)  Pour 1/3 of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Set aside.  
4. Get the cheese mixture from the fridge.  Spread 1/4 cup of cheese mixture onto one lasagna noodle.  (Eyeball this so that you have enough mixture for all 9 noodles.)  Roll up and place seam side down into the baking dish.  Repeat with remaining noodles.
5. Pour remaining meat sauce over all the roll ups and then sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Recipe and link:  http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2011/12/lasagna-roll-ups.html