Lasagne Rolls

Every now and then I make a lasagne for my gang, which they love (of course they do - it's pasta filled with meat and cheese!).  But I always end up with extra noodles, which do not fit in my pan.  Probably because my oven is the size of an Easy-Bake Oven, and can't fit normal-sized pans in it.

Okay, it's not technically as small as an Easy-Bake, but it's still pretty darned small.

The result is that although I can make a lasagne, I never use up all of the noodles that you get in a pound of pasta.  So I have a few noodles left in the box, which I never remember to use the next time I make lasagne, of course.  Next thing you know, I've got nine lasagne noodles staring at me from the shelves of my pantry pleading..."please, kind lady, do something with us....we feel so very unloved".

Not audibly, of course.

Or maybe I just feel guilty that I have not fully utilized the pasta and it will go bad before I gather enough boxes of leftover noodles to make an entire lasagne.

So that was my challenge, and I was determined to master it.  Also, to make it "meatless".  Because we've had meatloaf three times this week.  Topped with bacon.

Enough with the meat, right?

Right!

So here are my lasagne rolls, which turned out sooooooo good!  I have to make them again, soon!

Which means, of course, I will have to make three lasagnes and use all but three noodles in each box.

Lasagne Rolls

Ingredients:

- 9 lasagne noodles, cooked al dente and cut in half

- 2 cups Ricotta cheese

- 1 egg

- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

- 1/4 cup fresh chopped rosemary

- 3 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

- salt and pepper

- pasta sauce (your favorite)

The Process:

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the noodles until al dente (still a bit of a "bite" to them).  Drain, and cool down.  Cut them in half so that you have 18 "mini" noodles.  Set aside while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Into a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, basil, rosemary, and parsley.

Add in a cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese (or romano, or asiago), and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste (but go easy on the salt, just a sprinkle should be fine, since the cheese is salty).

Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in an 8 by 13 inch baking dish, and then assemble the rolls.

To assemble the rolls, lay down one (half) noodle, and add about 2-3 Tbsp of the cheese mixture. Roll it up, and lay it seam-side-down in the baking dish. Continue until you've used up all of the noodles and cheese.

Top with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes.

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