Lasagna is one of those classic dinners that everybody loves, but it just takes so long to put together! Spending at least an hour on a meal just isn't practical for busy weeknights.
Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls bring together pizza and lasagna, and you can roll these up in 30 minutes plus bake time. With that creamy ricotta you remember from the original savory dish, these lasagna rolls are packed with added pepperoni, and a delicious homemade sauce. This dish can even be made the night before and baked the next day. Get rollin' this week for a yummy meal!
Ingredients:
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced small
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the lasagna rolls
- 10 traditional lasagna noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water
- 2 cups of the pizza sauce you prepared
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 ounces sliced pepperoni (50-60 slices)
Directions:
For the sauce, in a large pan over medium-low heat, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter is melted. Add the garlic and onion and saute until tender, about five minutes.
Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Place a cover on the pan, tilted slightly to let some steam out.
Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. With a blender, carefully blend until sauce has desired texture. Store in fridge unless using immediately (it makes more than is needed for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze extras.).
For the lasagna rolls, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to directions on package. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and lay out on sheets of wax paper so they don't stick together.
Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread 1/2 cup of pizza sauce into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare filling in a large bowl by mixing beaten egg, ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper until well combined.
To prepare lasagna rolls, lay out one lasagna noodle and spread it with about 2 tablespoons of cheese filling. Lay out 5-6 pepperoni on top of cheese filling. Roll up each noodle starting at one of the short ends.
Place in prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat until all noodles have been filed and rolled. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups pizza sauce over the rolls and top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes (remove foil for last 10-15 minutes) or until hot and cheese is melted. Let stand about 10 minutes prior to serving.
