Who doesn’t love a good lasagna? The only thing not to love about it is how it presented in the dish, but this rolled version solves all of the problems. I figured this might be the perfect Valentine’s Day meal to make for your family or for a significant other. Plus it is so easy to make and makes for such a pretty presentation.
Are you into big gestures for Valentines Day? Well, I am not a big fan of going out on Valentines Day. I think it’s overrated, or maybe because I was in labor a few days before the day ten years ago with my first born son and the last thing I wanted to do was go out and eat at an over priced and over crowded restaurant. Wouldn’t it be more special and romantic if you cook a meal at home and enjoy it with candles and a nice bottle of wine. Finish the night with a movie on the couch and call it a nice relaxing night in. Seems perfect to me, how about you guys? Maybe after having kids your priorities change a bit on going out as much.
This lasagna is not only good for Valentines Day, it is also a highly requested dish by my kids. Every year on their birthday, they get whatever special homemade meal they want, it’s usually my lasagna, so I am finally getting to share this wonderful recipe with you guys as well besides sharing it with my family.
You will be surprised how easy it is to make this rolled lasagna and you have the option to make your own tomato sauce or take a short cut and use your favorite pasta sauce and add meat to it, or not and keep it vegetarian. I’ll keep this nice and short and get straight to the recipe. I double the recipe when I make this, because it keeps well in the fridge and you will definitely want to have seconds for lunch or even the next day for dinner, I promise you.
When I was photographing this recipe, I totally forgot to photograph the part where you add in the sliced mozzarella… had to redo it before I cooked this, but it was in it and you should totally add it in, so just FYI.
3 CHEESE & BASIL ROLLED LASAGNA
Ingredients
- 1 lb lasagna noodles
- 32 oz full fat ricotta cheese
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
- 3 tbsp garlic, minced
- 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- handful of baby spinach, finely chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 cup freshly grated good parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- salt, to taste
- 1 25 oz jar of your favorite tomato sauce with basil
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 5 basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large stock pot filled 3/4 of the way full with water to a boil.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons salt to boiling water and carefully insert all of the lasagna noodles to the boiling water. Boil for 6 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan cheese, basil, spinach, lemon zest and juice. Add salt to taste. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Place a large piece of parchment or wax paper on 2 baking sheets or counter. Drain lasagna noodles, rinse with cold water and drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil so they don’t stick together. Place lasagna noodles out flat on the parchment paper. Spread 1/3 cup of the cheese and basil filling on each of the lasagna noodles. Cut the fresh mozzarella paper thin and divide it among the lasagna noodles about 3 slices for each noodle. Roll up the noodles and set them aside.
- Heat the pan to high, add olive oil and meat, sauté for a few minutes while breaking down the meat into smaller pieces. Add in the jar of tomato sauce, let is heat up and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the heat, add in the basil and salt if needed, mix well.
- Reserve half the sauce to top the noodles.
- Carefully place the rolled noodles upright in the pot, making sure they don't tip over until all of them are tightly in place.
- Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the top. Cover with foil so the tops don't dry out. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Five minutes before it's done, top with grated mozzarella, don't cover with the foil again and return back to the oven until cheese has melted. Remove from oven, garnish with plenty of freshly chopped basil and extra parmesan if you prefer.
Enjoy and indulge in the easiest and prettiest rolled lasagna you’ll ever have. Serve with a side salad and a glass of wine and your valentines dinner will be spectacular.
xoxo,
LENA
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you give this rolled lasagna a try, let me know what you think. Leave a comment and don’t forget to take a picture and share it on my Facebook page or tag it #lenaskitchenblog on Instagram! I love seeing what you come up with!
Anna Kadoutchek
so easy and delicious !! And pretty presentation too! 🙂
Zarie
This recipe is so easy to follow & make. Made it with my kids. They loved making it, and it tastes so incredibly delicious. We printed it and are adding it to our regular rotation. Keep up the good work Lena!
lena
Ohh I am so happy you loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing your review Zarie.
Abby
I love this recipe! I’ve made it many times for my family and it’s always a big hit. I’ve used an extra jar of sauce the last couple of times because I like having extra sauce to pour over the lasagna. Either way, it’s delicious!
lena
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out!
Olichka Hernandez
We tried and made this today with my babies was super easy and came out so delicious ? Thank you LENA love trying something different ?
lenaskitchen
I loved seeing you guys making this recipe together. Glad you enjoyed it.
Zakiya
This was so delicious! I made it ahead in the morning and just popped it in the oven right before dinner with some breadsticks and the kids loved it! I used shells instead of lasagna sheets but it was so great and the recipe was so easy to follow. This will def be a keeper!
lenaskitchen
I am so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for leaving your feedback. Love hearing that you guys enjoyed it.
Jack
Nice Blog.Keep it up! and thanks for sharing such useful information regarding kitchenware you can browse more atkitchen accessories here.
Megan Greenwald-Yarnell
If you wanted to freeze a pan of this, would you not bake it at all before freezing? And then add some extra time with the foil on once you bake it?
lenaskitchen
Hmm, good question. I have not tested out freezing this since it’s usually gone in a few days in our household. Maybe add them in smaller baking dishes so you can cook them separate? If you do try to freeze it, I would say bake it 3/4 of the way covered in foil without the cheese. Thaw it a bit, then add in your cheese on the top and finish baking then. That’s what I would do. Please do let me know if you do try freezing it, I would love your feedback. Thanks Megan.
Ilona
Hi Lena, so I’m going to make your lasagna rolls for dinner and I wanted to know when you said that you doubled the recipe, are the pictures showing it doubled or is that one portion?
Angela
Loved this recipe a lot, easy to make and super yummy. I love the presentation of your food and recipes, always want to remake them. This is a keeper recipe for sure. I shared it with my two sisters and they raved about it too. Thank you ?
Rachel
Perfect make-ahead meal! I assembled it this morning and baked it just in time for dinner! It was easy, fast, delicious and kid friendly! Winner! Thanks Lena
2pots2cook
Beautiful work! Thank you for the know how also 🙂 Have a nice day !