Saturday, November 21, 2015

Let's Talk about Lasagna Rollups

Today I am in the land of the living, getting over a horrible cold. That sounds overly dramatic, as if I languished for days with illness. Fact is it was but one absolutely horrid day, then afew days of feeling faded. Now I'm back on the mend. It hit me like a freight train – one day I had sneezing and the next I was a mess. Slept just about all day with wakeful bouts searching for orange juice and chicken noodle soup.

A tray of lasagna rollups would be great to have in the freezer for such emergencies.

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So, yeah….all better now and I would rather talk about these lasagna roll ups and the necessity of having some in the freezer for “sick days”. This recipe comes from Ree Drummond’s latest book Dinnertime. It’s such a cool book – I love all the photos of her family as well as the yummy foods. This is one of her recipes she says freezes well and is perfect for emergencies.

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I did not freeze any but shared half of the spoils with the kids. They never mind a home cooked meal getting passed off to them. Who wouldn’t, right?!

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This is a cookbook I may buy (only $16.99 at Costco) instead of repeatedly checking it out of the library.

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Here is the recipe and a few photos of the process.

Lasagna Rollups
From Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
20 whole Lasagna Noodles
Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 pounds Ground Beef
28 ounces, Canned Diced Tomatoes
8 ounces, Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Salt & 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
3 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Basil

Filling
30 ounces, Ricotta Cheese
2 whole Eggs
3/4 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Salt & 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 Tablespoon Parsley, Minced
1 Tablespoon Basil, Minced
1 pound Mozzarella, Grated

Instructions:

Boil lasagna noodles until al dente. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of foil.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the ground beef stir it around, cooking it until totally browned. Drain excess fat, then add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Make the filling by combining ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil. Stir to combine.

To assemble, spoon a little sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch. Spread 2-3 tablespoons ricotta filling on each noodle, then roll them up. Lay them sideways in the pans Top with remaining sauce, plenty of grated mozzarella, and grated Parmesan.

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Just roll them and place in the pan like this........

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Finally you have all these fat cheesy rolls ready to be covered with sauce and cheese.

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You can't add too much cheese, in my opinion.

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If baking immediately, bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. If baking from a frozen state, bake, covered in foil, at 350 for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for 15 minutes, or until lasagna is done.

It was great freshly baked and I can see where a few frozen rolls could be a life saver if you need a quick meal!


I am sharing this with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series.



Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

9 comments:

  1. I never can get the hang of boiling noodles and then draining and cooking them - must practice more. I like the idea of the cheese mixture being the stuffing and the meat under them and over them - I shall pin this for later!

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  2. Wait Costco has this for 16.99?? I was there yesterday and was strong and didn't look at the books. And there's no way I'm going there the weekend before Thanksgiving (or on a weekend at all. Costco on a Saturday makes me stabby) so I may have to see what Amazon has to say. I love The Pioneer Woman's recipes and have been wanting to get my hands on this one. The recipe sounds delicious and what an interesting way to do lasagna!

    PS - regarding your question on my blog a pastry blender is a u-shaped cooking gadget with a handle at one end that you push into dough to turn it into crumbs. This is the one I have - http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Stainless-Bladed-Blender-Cutter/dp/B000QJE48O/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1448120512&sr=1-3&keywords=pastry+blender

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  3. Oh yum! Must get my hands on this cookbook. I like Ree's recipes! :)

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  4. I brought over the chicken noodle soup! Like the sound of your lasagne roll ups - I am planning to do a standing canneloni soon which I hope will be good. Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

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  5. The Lasagna Rollups look delicious.

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  6. Glad you're feeling better!

    Lasagna rolls do look like a good thing to have available in one's freezer!

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  7. Oh gosh, these these so good and easy. And I know what you mean about having meals in the freezer for emergencies. Sometimes I'm good about it and sometimes not. I'll have to track down a copy of this.

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  8. Mrs. L, if you run cold water over the noodles then lay them out on parchment paper, that works!

    Katherine, you crack me up! Stabby! I totally get you on that with Costco on weekends. It will be crazy from here on out. Thanks for the info on the pastry blender, sounds great!

    Jama, I like Ree's recipes too.

    Carole, that soup would be much appreciated. Thankfully I am on the mend now.

    Tea Norman, thanks so much!

    Joy, I think I will freeze some next time I make them. Handy to have. I am feeling better, thank you so much.

    BethFR: I am going to see if I can get this through Thrift Books, but the price at Costco isn't bad.

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  9. I'm sorry you were ill this week. I was just looking at this recipe on Pinterest, I'm glad you liked it.

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