Sunnys Easy Tomato And Basil Lasagna Roll Ups Recipes

CROWD-SOURCED MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Rub the bottom and sides of a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish (about 5 quarts) with olive oil. Set aside.
• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until everything is well coated and the tomato paste is a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until almost dry. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the sauce reduces slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until just al dente and pliable, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a colander; run cool water over the noodles and separate them.
• Make the filling: Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, 2/3 cup Parmesan, the parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir until combined.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spread a thin layer of sauce (about 1 cup) in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, laying them lengthwise. Top the noodles with one-quarter of the remaining sauce (about 2 cups). Dollop one-third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) on top and spread in an even layer. Top with 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat these layers two more times (noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella and parmesan). For the last layer, add the remaining 3 noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the baking dish with foil, sealing the edges (do not press the foil into the cheese). Bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown, 20 to 30 more minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

LASAGNA ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool and lay flat on a sheet of foil. Set aside.
• Make the sauce: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, green pepper and garlic and saute 4 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to soften. Remove the veggie mixture from the pan, then add the ground beef to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's totally browned. Drain the excess fat, then add 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, the veggie mixture and 1 tablespoon each parsley and basil and stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer over low heat, 30 minutes.
• Make the filling: Combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 3/4 cup parmesan, the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the remaining 3 tablespoons each parsley and basil. Stir to combine.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spoon a thin layer of sauce onto the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan or five 6-inch disposable foil loaf pans. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons ricotta filling on each lasagna noodle, then roll them up so that the cheese is on the inside of the roll. Lay them sideways in the pan(s). (Four roll-ups will fit in each loaf pan, or you can fill a 9-by-13-inch pan.) Top with the remaining sauce and plenty of grated mozzarella and parmesan.
• If you're making the roll-ups right away, place the pan(s) on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
• Find this recipe and more in Ree's new book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime ($30, William Morrow Cookbooks).

EASY PESTO LASAGNA ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package directions for al dente. Drain and arrange in a layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of the pesto. Divide the ricotta mixture evenly among the noodles, spreading it the length of each noodle. Divide 1 cup of the marinara sauce evenly among the 8 noodles, spreading it on top of the ricotta mixture.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of the remaining marinara sauce to the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
• Roll up the lasagna noodles, then arrange them seam-side down in the baking dish. Top them with the remaining 1 cup marinara sauce and 1/4 cup pesto. Cover the baking dish securely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil, top the roll-ups with the mozzarella cheese and continue baking, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, top the lasagna roll-ups with the grated Parmesan cheese and serve.