Lasagna Roll Ups

One of the best make-ahead meals is Lasagna Roll Ups. They have a creamy and cheesy filling and are topped with a meaty marinara sauce. If you love traditional lasagna, you have to try this recipe!

Why I Love This Easy Rolled Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite pasta dishes. I love all the layers of noodles surrounded by cheese and tomato sauce. It’s such a versatile dish that you can switch up and add different ingredients to make it your own. The only thing I do not enjoy sometimes is how long it takes to make each layer.

This is a fun twist on classic lasagna and I love how there are individual portions ready to go without any cutting. Plus, it’s so incredibly easy to make! That’s why I adore this lasagna roll-up recipe.

I love that I can make it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven when the family is ready to eat. However, since it’s pretty easy, I usually don’t mind making it at dinnertime. 

What You’ll Need

Below are the ingredients for these lasagna rolls. You will find everything you need to make the most delicious filling and sauce. 

• Lasagna Noodles
• Salt

Meat Sauce:

• Olive Oil
• Ground Italian Sausage: I use milk but you could also use hot or sweet.
• Marinara Sauce: Any jarred marinara sauce you enjoy is perfect or make our easy homemade marinara sauce!
• Onion: This will need to be finely diced.
• Garlic: Freshly minced or from a jar you get at the grocery store; all garlic is good garlic.

Cheese Filling:

• Ricotta: You can use part-skim or whole-milk ricotta cheese.
• Mozzarella: Shred it or buy it prepackaged. The mozzarella will be divided. 
• Parmesan: Freshly shredded is best!
• Parsley: Freshly chopped.
• Egg
• Salt & Pepper

How to Make Lasagna Roll-Ups

These are the step-by-step instructions on how to prepare and bake these delicious lasagna roll-ups.

• Step 1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F while you get your rolls prepared. 
• Step 2. Pour ½ cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Spread it evenly to coat it and set it aside.
• Step 3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tsp of salt. Add and cook your lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. 
• Step 4. While the noodles are cooking, heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the ground Italian sausage. Cook until no longer pink, stirring and breaking the pieces apart. The meat should be cooked in about 10 minutes. Drain the grease and set the cooked sausage aside in a small bowl.
• Step 5. Add another tbsp of olive oil to the skillet and add the diced onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until it starts to brown. Then, add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the sausage back to the pan.

• Step 6. Turn the heat down to low and pour in the remaining marinara sauce. Heat for about 5 minutes.
• Step 7. For the filling, mix ricotta cheese, 1 ½ cups of mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, egg, ½ tsp of salt, and pepper in a large bowl. 

Assembly:

• Step 8. Lay out the cooked noodles on a sheet pan or cutting board. 
• Step 9. Scoop 3 tbsp of the cheese filling onto each noodle and spread evenly. Top the cheese mixture with tbsp of the meat sauce.
• Step 10. Gently roll each noodle and place it in the 9×13 baking dish with the seam side down.

• Step 11. Once all of the lasagna roll-ups are in the dish, cover them with the remaining meat sauce and top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Step 12. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
• Step 13. Serve warm and garnish with extra chopped parsley.

Tips & Tricks For The Best Lasagna Roll Ups

• You can use any kind of ground Italian sausage you like. If you use links in the casing, just remove the casing before cooking.
• Make sure the heat on the skillet isn’t too high when cooking the sausage. If the pan is too hot, it will make it harder to break up the sausage. It’s more difficult to roll the lasagna noodles if the sausage pieces are too large.
• You can also substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta if you prefer or ground turkey for the ground beef. Spinach can also be added into the ricotta mixture.
• If you place the lasagna rolls in a 3×4 pattern, therefore they will fit best in the pan.
• Lastly, you can make the lasagna roll-ups ahead of time and freeze them or store them in the refrigerator. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight before baking. If refrigerated, bake within 24 hours.

Storing & Freezing:

These lasagna roll-ups will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Store them in an airtight container for best results. Reheat leftovers in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate.

Freezing: Assemble the lasagna rolls completely, but do not bake. Wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and top with a layer of foil before placing in the freezer.

Prepare from Frozen: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Set out on the counter for 30 minutes and then bake as directed.

More Lasagna Recipes

• Lasagna Soup
• Taco Lasagna
• The Easiest Skillet Lasagna 
• Easy Lasagna Recipe
• Low-Carb Individual Lasagna Bowls