Baked Lasagna Roll Ups

To me, there are not many things better than a homemade lasagna. I just find them a bit too time consuming to be making on a regular basis, so if I'm feeling like pasta I often opt for something a bit simpler. That's where this recipe comes in. It's a simple way to get all the flavour and the lasagna goodness we all love, without the time consuming layering and long bake time. Plus, you can make it look really pretty!

Ingredients

- 1 pound of ground beef

- 1 can of tomato sauce

- 7 lasagna noodles

- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese

- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella, plus an extra 1/4 cup to bake on top

- 2 Tbsp grated parmesan

- 1 egg

- 1/4 cup chopped spinach

- 1/2 tsp salt

Method

First, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles. Once cooked, lay them flat on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to start drying. While the pasta is drying, scramble fry the ground beef in a skillet until completely cooked. Once the beef is cooked add the tomato sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer.

Preheat oven to 425ºF. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, spinach and salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are well combined. Next, check to make sure the pasta has dried to the point where it is slightly sticky, and no longer slimy. Lay out the pasta and spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture across each noodle, being sure to leave about 2cm of space on each end.

Roll up each noodle and use the end of it to stick to itself. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each roll in half so that you get two mini-rolls.

In a 9x13 baking dish, spread the meat sauce evenly using the back of a spoon. Then, carefully place each roll into the meat sauce standing up vertically. Finally, top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. If you like it to be a bit more crispy, set your oven to broil and bake for a couple extra minutes. Serve up these lasagna rolls with a scoop of the sauce on top and enjoy!