I love lasagna in all its forms, especially these cute little Lasagna Roll Ups that are perfectly portioned for meal prep. Stash a few portions of these in your freezer for a rainy day and you will THANK yourself later. Promise. Lasagna roll ups are flexible and you can fill them with whatever you like, sausage, beef, or even make them vegetarian as I have here with a light spinach-ricotta filling. No matter the flavor, they’re delicious and fun to eat!
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What Are Lasagna Roll Ups?
Lasagna roll ups have all the same components of lasagna, but they are combined in different form. Instead of layering the ingredients into a casserole dish, the filling is spread onto each lasagna noodle and then rolled into a perfect little portion. Sauce is poured over the top and then they’re baked to perfection!
Ingredients for Lasagna Roll Ups
As with traditional lasagna, the filling for these lasagna roll ups is quite flexible. Here is what you’ll need to make the vegetarian spinach and ricotta-filled version below:
- Lasagna Noodles: Each lasagna noodle makes one bundle. I like to get the flutter edge noodles instead of flat noodles because they make the prettiest roll ups.
- Cheese: We use a mix of ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese to create the most flavorful filling for the roll ups.
- Egg: Egg helps bind the cheese filling and keeps the filling moist and rich. I have, on occasion, forgotten the egg and the lasagna roll ups still turned out quite delicious, just not as moist.
- Frozen Spinach: I chose to make a vegetarian version of lasagna roll ups to save on money, using an inexpensive block of frozen cut spinach, but you can swap for Italian sausage or ground beef if you want a meat version. Sautéed mushrooms also work well.
- Pasta Sauce: To make this recipe extra easy, I used a simple jar of pasta sauce to drench the lasagna roll ups. If you prefer to make your own, you can use our Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce, or our quick Weeknight Pasta Sauce and have meat in addition to the spinach.
What to Serve with Lasagna Roll Ups
Some homemade garlic bread and a nice side salad would be perfect to pair with this meal and will add some color and freshness to the plate. But the roll ups are pretty filling on their own, so you won’t need to add much to make it a meal!
Meal Prep It!
These lasagna roll ups will stay good in the refrigerator for about five days, so make sure to portion them out into air-tight containers after cooking for quick grab-and-reheat meals for the rest of the week. After the portions are chilled in the refrigerator you can transfer some to the freezer for longer storage (up to three months).
To reheat the frozen lasagna roll ups, either let them thaw in the refrigerator over night before reheating in the microwave, or go straight from the freezer to the microwave, making sure to use the defrost function first.
Lasagna Roll Ups
Servings 8 (2 rolls each)Ingredients
- 12 oz. lasagna noodles ($2.19)
- 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese ($3.39)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella (divided, $2.33)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.38)
- 1 large egg ($0.09)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 10 oz. frozen spinach (thawed, $1.20)
- 1 24oz. jar pasta sauce ($1.99)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add 1 tsp salt to season the water, then add the lasagna noodles. Boil the noodles just until al dente (they become too delicate to roll if they are too soft). Drain the noodles in a colander.
- While the noodles are boiling, drain the thawed spinach, squeezing out as much of the excess water as possible. Add the spinach to a bowl with the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Once the lasagna noodles have cooled enough to touch with your hands, lay a few noodles out onto a clean surface. Spread about ¼ cup of the spinach and cheese filling onto each noodle, spreading it from edge to edge. It's okay if the filling is thin or doesn't create a solid layer. Roll the noodles up, then place in a large casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles until you've used all of the filling. You should get about 16 roll ups and you may have a few noodles left over (those will be back up in case any tear).
- Once all of the noodles are filled, rolled, and placed in the casserole dish, pour the jar of pasta sauce over top. Top the lasagna roll ups with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake the lasagna roll ups for 30 minutes in the preheated 400ºF oven. Serve hot and enjoy!
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Nutrition
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How to Make Lasagna Roll Ups – Step by Step Photos
Thaw one 10oz. package of frozen chopped spinach (either use the defrost function on a microwave or transfer it to the refrigerator the day before to thaw). Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Once the spinach is fully thawed, squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach. You should have about one cup tightly packed spinach after squeezing.
Add the spinach to a large bowl with one large egg, 15oz. ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Stir everything together until evenly combined.
Boil 12oz. lasagna noodles until al dente, then drain in a colander. Do not let the noodles overcook or they’ll be too delicate to work with. You’ll only need 12 noodles, but you’ll likely have a few more if you boil an entire 12oz. box. It’s always good to have a few back up in case they tear as you’re filling and rolling.
Lay a few of the lasagna noodles out onto a clean surface and spread a thin layer of the cheese filling onto each noodle from edge to edge. The filling does not need to be thick or in a solid layer because it adds up when the noodles are rolled. I used heaping ¼ cup of filling per noodle.
As you fill and roll the noodles, place them in a large casserole dish. Pour one 24oz. jar of marinara sauce over the lasagna roll ups.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella over the lasagna roll ups.
Cover the baking dish and bake the roll ups for about 30 minutes in the preheated 400ºF oven, or until the sauce and cheese are bubbling up around the edges.
Serve and enjoy! (Garnish with parsley for a little extra color, if desired.)
Absolutely fantastic! My husband raved about this one, and has asked that we put it in the regular rotation! Much easier (in my opinion) than a whole lasagna, and easier to portion out for servings or prep. We used a 12 oz package of lean ground turkey in place of the spinach, just browning it with some seasonings before following the rest of the instructions. We substituted part skim ricotta and mozzarella for the whole milk versions, and used a spicy jarred sauce, and it was quick, easy, and very delicious. Thank you Beth, another home run from you!
Any tips if I’d rather add hamburger instead of spinach?
We’d have to test that out first! You could also check out our Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef! https://www.budgetbytes.com/stuffed-shells-with-ground-beef/
Are you able to prep this the evening/morning before then pop into oven in evening for dinner? At which step would I stop/resume for this?
I would make them through filling, rolling, and placing in the casserole dish. Then cover and refrigerate and top with sauce and cheese right before baking!
I’m making these today. So excited! I always cook Italian on Sunday! Thnx for this. Let you know how it turns out. Ciao
Trying your lasagna roll ups recipe. Very excited. 😆
These were so delicious!! I plan to make portion size meals for my lunches. I was wondering if I could freeze the uncooked rolls and when I’m ready to heat, add the sauce and cheese, or add the sauce and cheese before freezing the rolls? Thank you!
I think you could definitely freeze the rolls and then add the sauce and cheese when you heat! If you do it let us know how it works out!
It works freezing them without sauce. I realized that you can waste jarred sauce unless you plan to heat the individual portions until you run out of sauce. Results, delish!! Thank you.
Just made these and they are delicious! Recipe is super simple and very cost effective. Noticed other post about not having enough filling for 16 rolls. I didn’t change recipe I was just mindful to use only about 2 to 2 1/2 tbsps per noodle. Last couple were a little heavier but filling was able to fill all. Thank you for recipe, I will definitely make this again.
Im going to buy 500 of these
Super easy but I only got 8 instead of 16. I think I overstuffed
Can I do this with raw baby spinach?
You probably could, but it would be pretty difficult to roll them up with uncooked spinach, and you’d end up with a lot less spinach in there. You might also run into an issue with the spinach releasing a lot of water as it cooks, making things a bit soggy.
I decided to use Italian sausage instead of spinach. I added it in coming. But I feel like maybe I should have put it in the sauce. Any thoughts?
I think you could go either way! It might be harder to roll up with the chunks of sausage, depending on how small you crumble it as it cooks.
This recipe is good for week night meals and for special occasions. For a buffet that included a number of vegetarian guests, I sauteed diced mushrooms, small dice eggplant, onions, and small dice butternut squash along with some garlic and added in a small can of tomato paste plus a jar of fire roasted tomato sauce and cooked until it was a little thickened. I used whole wheat lasagna noodles that seem to hold up better than regular. Then I proceeded as outlined in your recipe with spreading the ricotta/cheeses/spinach mixture and a layer of the tomato cooked vegetables, rolled them up, topped with more tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, and baked covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for 5 to let the cheese brown up some. Everyone loved this dish.
I cooked the pasta, left it in the strainer and went to do the grocery shopping. I think that was a mistake, because when I got back they were all stuck together and dry in the middle. I should have listened to you and rolled them when they were just warm enough to handle. As I had already defrosted the spinach, I ended up making a sort of messy pasta casserole.
I make spinach lasagna roll ups all the time. If you really want to take it over the top, add some pesto. I freeze my own pesto as ice cubes so just add one or two of them, defrosted of course. 😋
Yessss, that’s such a great idea!
Any suggestions for ricotta cheese substitute? I’m currently living in a foreign country and I have looked in every grocery store and I’ve been unable to locate ricotta cheese but desperately want to try these!
Hi Jessica- try mascarpone or cottage cheese. You can also make your own ricotta. Heat a half gallon of whole milk and a few generous pinches of salt on medium until it starts to steam (but not boil). Turn the heat down to low and add 3 tablespoons of distilled vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Stir until curds start to form. Take the pot off the heat and let it sit (covered) for about a half hour. Drain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Tie the cheesecloth into a bundle and then squeeze as much liquid as possible out of it. xoxo -Monti
Thanks so much!
Another good option is to make a bechamel sauce – the main ingredients are butter, flour, and milk. It’s common to use bechamel instead of ricotta in lasagna recipes!