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.)
Halved this recipe and made it for dinner tonight. Holy awesome. Thank you for such a yummy recipe :) I used fresh spinach instead of frozen, and a mixture of cottage cheese & cream cheese for the filling. Next time I might try silken tofu. Topped with a roasted tomato sauce made from tomatoes from the garden last summer :) Thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight. Was a hit with everyone but the youngest (course she doesn’t like anything but pb&j).
I make something very similar. I cook mine in the crock pot for about 4 hours on low.
I make something very similar. I cook mine in the crock pot for about 4 hours on low.
This was just a huge hit at my dinner party! I tweeked the recipe just a little though. Instead of using frozen spinach I bought fresh spinach and steamed it. I also added fresh basil and roasted garlic to the filling. I topped the sauce with cheese and garnished the finished dish with fresh chopped basil!!! It was wonderful! I also made one with a meat and marina sauce filling that was just as killer! Thank you!
I would assemble, then freeze. Then, let it thaw in the refrigerator for about 8 hours before cooking so that you don’t end up with a frozen center and cooked outer edges! Also, since it will still be quite a bit colder than if you just assembled and baked, the cooking time may need to be increased. Just make sure the center is really hot! I hope that helped :)
I am in need of assistance. We love this recipe and make it quite often, and I am making it for our family Christmas dinner. I would like to make it in advance, HOWEVER I am unsure on the details of this. Do I cook it, then freeze it then reheat in the oven. Do I assemble, freeze, then cook as normal? Any guidance would be greately appreciated.
This looks AMAZIIINGGGG! and Easy! i think my hubby will love it!
This is a brilliant recipe which I still enjoy eating. I always have a thing for lasagna. I love the cheese, the sauce and the overall taste. Thanks for sharing this. I’ll definitely make this at home.
Have you used small curd cottage cheese instead of ricotta? Lacks a bit of the sweetness, but saves a good deal in cost because I’m more likely to find it on sale.
Thank you for all your beautiful work. You’re inspiring!!
-MochaDropMama
We had this for dinner tonight! So good.
I also sautéed half a yellow onion finely chopped, four cloves of garlic pressed and one finely grated carrot for extra healthiness. I added that to the cheese/egg/spinach filling. My recipe made 12 roll ups – I stuffed mine more than the recipe called for.
Anon- Yes, you can but you’ll have to make sure you cook it a decent amount of time. It’s hard to say how long because every microwave heats at a different power. Just make sure the very center of the roll is very hot.
Hey!
Someone posted this website on my Facebook, and I have to say your blog is GENIUS. Thank you so much for sharing all of your great recipes!
I made these lasanga roll ups last night for my boyfriend and I, and we LOVED them. The only thing I did different was I didn’t add any spinach because my boyfriend is not a fan =P, and I added some garlic powder to the ricotta/cheese/egg mixture. I didn’t have regular marinara in the pantry, So I used a sweet basil marinara and it was delicious!
Again, thank you so much! I am already looking for something else to try for the weekend! =)
Will heating uncooked roll-ups in the microwave be enough to cook the egg fully?
does anyone have any suggestions on what to replace the spinach with? i hate spinach, but this looks delicious. let me know!
I have been making this same dish for years. My family loves it! And I’ve tried many different variations! One of our faves is using shredded chicken and frozen chopped broccoli, along with the cheese mixture, and then topping with a jar of alfredo sauce! Soooo good!!!!