Linda Bankes shared this recipe idea with me after her daughter, Teddy, used it for a 4-H demonstration (Teddy has teenagers so that’s been so time ago.) I loved the concept and we’ve used it for kids cooking classes. Actually, I think I prefer roll-ups to the traditional lasagna and there are so many variations. I’m thinking that spinach would be a nice addition to the cream cheese with a creamy béchamel sauce ladled over the spinach lasagna rolls.
Lasagna Roll-Ups 16 Roll-Ups
Meat Sauces: (Use ground pork or even ground turkey in place of ground beef.)
Hamburger
1 lb. lean ground beef (80 to 85% lean)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt and garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
Pizza-Burger
1 lb. lean ground beef (80 to 85% lean)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt and garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 (8 oz.) can pizza sauce (or simply add about a
tablespoon of Italian seasoning to a can of tomato
sauce)
Taco-Burger
1 lb. lean ground beef (80 to 85% lean)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt & garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
Filling:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mozzarella or cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1. In a large pot, heat water to boiling (medium-high to high heat) and add lasagna noodles. When water returns to boiling, cook noodles 10 to 15 minutes or until tender but still slightly firm — al dente*. To prevent sticking, add the pasta slowly and stir occasionally during the cooking period.
2. Drain noodles and cool in single layer on wax paper or foil to keep from sticking together.
3. Cook ground beef in skillet on medium to medium-high heat; drain well.
4. Add seasonings of choice and stir; turn to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Lightly coat an 8” x 12” x 1 1/2” baking pan or dish with cooking spray.
7. Using a metal spatula or kitchen knife, spread a lasagna noodles with softened cream cheese and sprinkle with cheeses.
8. Roll up and place seam-side down in prepared pan.
9. Top with meat sauce. The casserole can be refrigerated at this point and baked later — allow chilled casserole to sit at room temperature about 30 minutes before baking.
10. Cover with foil and bake in 350° preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
* Pasta is best cooked al dente (ahl DEHN-tay), which means it is firm to the bite! Cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the pasta. Since the pasta in this dish will be baked, it can be cooked for a shorter time.
About Pasta
Pasta comes in many shapes and sizes (some say 300 or more!) but all are variations of 3 basic dry pasta products: macaroni, spaghetti & egg noodles.
Pasta, meaning paste, is made mainly from water and ground grain. Most commercial pasta is made from durum wheat (a hard wheat which helps pasta keep it’s shape when cooking) and is enriched with B-vitamins and iron.
Pasta is most often associated with the Italians but various types are found throughout the world. Won-tons, for example, are an Oriental pasta.
Thomas Jefferson introduced pasta to America during his term as President of the United States.
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