These hearty lasagna roll ups are so versatile and can be easily modified to include ingredients you already have in your kitchen. Double this mouthwatering recipe to fill your belly and your freezer all in under an hour! 

lasagna roll ups on a plate, from Shelf Cooking

Can you say comfort food? Lasagna roll ups will make your own family jump for joy come dinnertime! Eat it now or stick it in the freezer for later. This is the perfect dish to take to your friends when they can’t cook for themselves. It’s also an amazing dish to pull out of the freezer after coming home from vacation and just popping right in the oven! We all know someone who could use a little lasagna love in their life, right!? Who doesn’t crave a delicious, hearty home-cooked meal? 

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These cheesy, lasagna roll ups are just begging for some shelf cooking creativity! Go meatless or vegetarian! There are so many great adaptations for this recipe to help you use up whatever ingredients you have on hand! What is shelf cooking you say!? Do yourself a favor… walk, no, RUN and go learn all about shelf cooking here! Seriously, you’ll thank us later… and so will your wallet! Okay, now that you know the WHY, let’s talk about the HOW! 

Jump to Recipe

EASY LASAGNA ROLL UPS SWAPS

There’s nothing worse than getting out all your ingredients and realizing you don’t have exactly what you need for your recipe. Fear not – shelf cooking to the rescue! This lasagna roll ups recipe is like a chameleon in the kitchen and can be switched up in lots of ways to use the ingredients you already have on hand.

TRY OUT THESE FIVE DELICIOUS ADAPTATIONS

  • Use Alternative Meats: This recipe calls for ground beef, but you can use any ground meat in its place with tasty results. Try a few of our favorite substitutes: ground turkey, chicken, venison, Italian sausage… even throw in that leftover breakfast sausage from yesterday morning! 
  • Make it Meat-LESS: Are you in a pinch and don’t have any meat thawed and ready to go? Forget the meat entirely and add in a few handfuls of chopped, steamed spinach, zucchini, or carrots. Not only does this save a few bucks, it also adds lots of healthy goodness!
  • Use Alternative Dairy: No ricotta? No worries! We've got five easy ricotta cheese substitutes you can choose from. You're sure to have at least one of these in your fridge or freezer!
  • Try a NEW Sauce: Try a delicious creamy, cheesy Alfredo-type sauce instead of a marinara sauce! Add chicken or veggies to mix it up! Sooooo delicious!
  • Make it Mexican: Have some leftover taco meat you need to make use of? A few easy swaps can turn this classic Italian dish into a fun Mexican fiesta! Swap your tomato sauce for enchilada sauce, your mozzarella for cheddar or jack and throw in that leftover taco meat mixed with a can of your favorite beans. OH MY YUM! Top with a drizzle of sour cream, diced tomatoes, green onions, and avocado.

PREPARING LASAGNA ROLL UPS

lasagna roll ups with meat sauce, from Shelf Cooking

Perfect lasagna roll ups are pretty hard to beat! Gooey, cheesy, and moist with a little bit of crunch on top from the toasty cheese… mmmhmm! Follow these pro tips and you’ll have restaurant quality lasagna roll ups in no time at all.

  • No More Sticky Noodles: Have you ever gone to retrieve your cooked lasagna noodles only to find a big clumpy mess? Try this! Instead of leaving your noodles to cool in the colander, take the extra time to lay them out individually on a sheet of wax paper while they are waiting to be prepped. Trust us, it’s worth it! 
  • Crispy Cheesy Top: Cover your lasagna roll ups while baking. We want these cheesy lasagna roll ups to be moist, not dry! Cover with a layer of foil until the last 5 minutes. Stick these bad boys under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the cheese and they’ll be perfect! 
  • Double and Freeze: Lasagna roll ups are the perfect meal for doubling. Lasagna can be a little labor intensive so why not take advantage of your time in the kitchen to double the recipe and make a batch to freeze?  

HEATING UP THE LEFTOVERS

Lasagna roll ups are super simple to reheat only one portion at a time! Don’t be afraid to pull out those leftovers for another meal later in the week. Leftover lasagna roll ups can be just as good, if not better, the second time around so go ahead and make a little extra and plan to have leftovers for dinner later in the week. Follow these reheating tips to keep them from drying out.

  • Microwave Tip: Place lasagna roll ups in a microwave safe container and add a tablespoon of water and a little extra marinara sauce (optional) to the top. Cover the container with a microwave safe lid or plate and heat for 1-2 minutes, until it’s bubbly and irresistible! 
  • Reheat in the Oven: Drop 1-2 tablespoons of water over the top of your lasagna roll ups in an oven safe dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 15-25 minutes, or until it’s warm throughout. 

TIPS FOR FREEZING A WHOLE BATCH

Freezer meal supplies from Shelf Cooking

There are a couple of ways you can easily freeze this recipe. For your freezer portion, prepare lasagna roll ups exactly how the recipe shows, or however you’ve adapted it, and place them in a freezer safe casserole dish. Cover this with a lid if it came with one or with foil if it didn’t. Once you’ve covered it tightly with foil, wrap that baby up in plastic wrap. Don’t be shy with it, there isn’t anything good about freezer burned lasagna roll ups! 

If you don’t have any of those foil pans on hand, line a regular casserole dish with foil, leaving overhang on both sides. Flash freeze your lasagna roll ups so they keep the shape of the dish then remove them by lifting the foil out of the dish. Put inside a large freezer bag or wrap tightly with plenty of plastic wrap.

And, voila! Add the date and name to the outside with a sharpie and you’ve got a deliciously tasty meal just sitting in your freezer waiting to be devoured! 

Thaw your lasagna roll ups for 24 hours in the fridge before you plan to eat them. (Learn more about safe ways to thaw food here!) Once thawed, remove all plastic, but leave covered with foil, and cook at 450°F for 15-20 minutes. If you’re baking straight from frozen, bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes longer, or until warm throughout. 

THE BEST LASAGNA ROLL UPS RECIPE

Are you ready for the most delicious lasagna roll ups on the planet?! You're welcome in advance! 😉

lasagna roll ups on a plate, from Shelf Cooking

Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe

This recipe is so easy you can get the whole family involved. Put them to work making that second batch for the freezer! *Wink, wink*
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Assembling Roll Ups 5 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 18 lasagna noodles
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 24 oz pasta sauce
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 cup mozzarella
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp pepper

Instructions
 

  • Boil noodles according to package directions until tender. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
  • Meanwhile on the stovetop, cook and crumble ground beef. Season with garlic and onion powder. Once cooked, drain the fat. Add ½ jar of pasta sauce to ground beef and mix.
  • Preheat oven to 450°F. Prepare your dish by spreading 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish and set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, mix ricotta cheese with egg, grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and dried parsley flakes.
  • Lay cooked lasagna noodles out. Spread ricotta cheese mix, then spoon on a thin layer of ground beef mix. Gently roll and then place in prepared casserole dish. Top all rolls with remaining pasta sauce and top with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

To freeze cooked lasagna roll ups: store meal-sized portions in freezer containers. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the microwave or in the oven until the cheese is melty.
To make your own lasagna roll ups freezer meal: Assemble roll ups as called for in the recipe and add to freezer casserole dish. Wrap tightly with foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, keep covered in foil, and bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top
Keyword freezer meal, make-ahead

Doesn't that sound like the best thing, ever?? You won't be sorry when you try it!

This lasagna roll ups recipe is one of our favorites! We love to pair it with a healthy veggie side dish and a simple garlic toast. Let us know your go-to lasagna side dish in the comments below! 

Image with text that reads "lasagna roll ups" from Shelf Cooking

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Enjoy!