Veggie Lasagna Rolls

Have I mentioned my obsession with pasta?  I flip through cooking magazines and browse restaurant menus, and all I want is pasta, pasta, pasta!  I’ve decided that as long as the pasta includes veggies, we’re good to go.  This is sort of a fabulous sneaky way to get veggies into your kids too, so if you’re looking for such trickery, here you go.

So this dish is kinda wonderful because it’s really easy to make, and totally delicious.  Also, because it comes naturally portioned, you can decide whether or not your are going to be good (1 roll, please!) or bad (2 rolls, um, give it!) or downright sinful (three rolls — step back from the pan and no one gets hurt!).  I say if you have one roll with a salad that it’s downright healthy!!

If you make a big pan of it (like I might have done, despite us only being only a party of 2), you will have leftovers for days! Share with your friends, be a complete rock star.

Veggie Lasagna Rolls
Adapted from Lea Michele & Edith Sarfati

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch broccoli, stems removed and finely chopped
8 ounces of bagged baby carrots, finely chopped
1 16 ounce box lasagna noodles
32 ounces of ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 24 ounce jar of tomato or marinara sauce
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped broccoli and carrots until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a large bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Easy noodle method: Using the large, rectangular baking pan that you’ll cook the lasagna rolls in, fill it with the hottest tap water you’ve got, and fill it with the uncooked noodles for 20-25 minutes until tender.  Alternatively, you can boil the noodles per package instructions.  I always burn the crap out of myself when I use this method because the pot spits out boiling hot water (in a way that doesn’t happen with small pasta noodles) and then there is all the tasting to make sure they are perfect — again, much easier with smaller noodles.  At any rate, once cooked, lay them flat to cool. Dry the pan, and spread half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Mix ricotta and garlic powder, oregano, basil and salt to taste. Add this ricotta mixture to the bowl with the cooled carrots and broccoli. Add Parmesan and mozzarella, and mix until nicely combined.

Using a spatula (or your hands!), spread ½-cup filling onto a single lasagna noodle, leaving ½-inch at each end so you are able to roll them up!  Roll each one tightly, and place in the pan with the tomato sauce, seam-side down.

After you’ve rolled all the noodles, cook in the oven for 35-45 minutes until warm and bubbly.

Top with remaining tomato sauce, cook an additional 10 minutes, and ENJOY!

Bon appétit!

Mix ricotta

Tagged as: broccoli, carrots, lasagna, mozzarella, ricotta, vegetable