Lasagna Roll Ups combine the best of classic Lasagna but are much easier to serve, bake faster and can be enjoyed right away – no resting time required! They are make-ahead, freezer-friendly, and reheat well.
We love comforting pasta dishes like Chicken Tetrazzini, traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs and Mom’s Chicken Alfredo. These are among the most requested meals in our family. Try this Lasagna Roll-Ups recipe and you will make it over and over.
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Lasagna Roll-Ups:
We love lasagna in all forms including Skillet Lasagna, make-ahead Slow Cooker Lasagna, and of course Classic Lasagna. These Lasagna Roll-ups are beefy, saucy, cheesy and definitely satisfy the craving for lasagna, but they are way easier to serve. No more messy lasagna squares sliding apart as you struggle to remove them from the pan.
The Ultimate Cheese Sauce:
We make a 3-cheese sauce with ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Once the sauce is baked, it tastes almost like an alfredo sauce – rich, creamy, and cheesy.
Beefy Lasagna Meat Sauce:
The best meat sauce for lasagna is essentially a ragu – a meat sauce with ground beef, onion, seasonings, and marinara. We don’t skimp on the meat and use a full pound of ground beef which makes this lasagna supremely satisfying. You can use homemade marinara or your favorite store-bought marinara.
Can I Substitute the Ground Beef?
You can swap out the ground beef for Italian sausage or use ground turkey or ground chicken if you want a leaner lasagna.
How to Make Lasagna Rolls:
The process here is simple and you have all the elements of a classic lasagna but they are rolled rather than layered. This results in 12 perfectly portioned servings of lasagna. It’s brilliant for parties! The process for lasagna rolls is simple:
- Cook the noodles
- Make the meat sauce and spread 1/2 cup in a 9×13 casserole
- Make the cheese sauce
- Spread cheese sauce and meat sauce on each noodle.
- Roll up noodles, transfer to the casserole dish, spread with remaining meat sauce and mozzarella, then cover and bake.
Tips for Assembling Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Cook 2-3 extra noodles as some may break while boiling.
- Cook noodles according to package instructions in salted water until al-dente (do not over-cook). We use about 3 Tbsp salt for a large soup pot of water.
- Drain cooked noodles then cover them with cold water until ready to use so they don’t stick together.
- To contain the mess, arrange the noodles 6 at a time on a rimmed non-stick baking sheet (keeping remaining noodles in cold water until ready to use).
Can I Make Lasagna Roll-Ups Ahead?
There are 2 options to make these lasagna roll-ups ahead of time.
- Fully assemble and bake, then cool to room temperature, cover, and chill. To serve, reheat portions in the microwave or oven until roll-ups are heated through and cheese is melted.
- Fully assemble roll-ups in a casserole dish (without baking), cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight or freeze up to 3 months. Bake refrigerated lasagna roll-ups at 375˚F for about 45 minutes. Bake from frozen at 375˚F for about 1 hour.
Watch Natasha Make Lasagna Rolls:
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Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles, cooked to package instructions
- 16 oz ground beef, 85% lean
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste for red sauce
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cook noodles in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions then drain and fill pot with cold water to stop the cooking process and keep noodles from sticking together.
- In a deep pan or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink, breaking up with a spatula (2 min). Add onion and cook until softened (3 minutes). Add garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp oregano and sautee another minute. Add marinara, bring to a simmer and turn off the heat. Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce over the bottom of a casserole dish
- In a large bowl, stir together: ricotta, 1 egg, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parsley.
- To contain messiness, arrange noodles over a large baking sheet in a single layer. Spread 1/4 cup (1 scant ice cream scoop) of cheese mixture over the top of each noodle. Add a heaping Tbsp of meat sauce in a strip down the center of the noodle. Roll noodles up and arrange in the prepared casserole dish.
- Spread remaining meat sauce over the tops of roll-ups and sprinkle on the remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil, making sure foil isn't touching cheese (if your pan is on the shallow side, you can put toothpicks into rolls to keep the foil away from cheese.
- Bake covered at 375˚F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and broil another 2-3 minutes or until cheese is lightly golden. Garnish with parsley to serve.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Hi, I doubled the recipe and ended up with 27 lasagna roll ups, because none of my lasagna noodles broke! I baked the entire batch of 27. We ate two and they were really delicious so now I have a lot of leftovers which I would like to freeze in foil pans. How long do you think it would take to heat these? There are nine roll ups in each pan. I was thinking maybe 45 minutes to 1 hour, covered at 375°?
Also, wondering if individual roll ups could be microwaved or thawed and then microwaved.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Jane! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. I’m sorry I don’t have the exact time for reheating in that quantity. It can differ based on how many and will require some experimenting. Yes- they can be microwaved to be reheated as well.
Recipe looks great. How many servings do you get with 12 lasagna rolls?
Hi Donna, it depends but 1 roll or more can be for 1 person.
I freeze rolls on parchment lined cookie sheets then place 2 rolls in ziplocks to freeze until we need them. Great for a small family, camping or other portable activities that include an oven. We love them!
I’ll often add fresh spinach leaves in the roll.
Thanks for sharing, Alana!
I was so surprised how easy this recipe was to make and how fast it was to prepare. My husband ask me to make sure I put this recipe in our rotation of easy and quick meals to make. It was so satisfying to see the end result be so gratifying. Thanks Natasha – huge fan!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Brandi! It sounds like you have a new family favorite!
This is my go to recipe when I make lasagna now. Each roll is one perfectly sliced piece of lasagna. Love all your recipes.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a favorite!
I love the roll up lasagna idea. Can I also make this with shredded chicken or ground chicken ? I’m guessing I can with your chicken lasagna recipe.
Hi Cheryl! Yes, that would be fine. I hope you love the recipe!
Absolute delicious. Very easy to make. Hoping it freezes well. Love all your recipes and creativity.
It freezes well too! I’m glad you loved it.
Hi. I’ve made this recipe several times without fail. And now I’m making ahead to freeze. I made two pans and put them in the freezer. When I take it out to bake do I still bake with the foil on top and then remove to broil? Or do I bake without the foil? And then broil those last 5 minutes?
Hi Danielle! Yes, you can follow the instructions and bake the same way with foil. It will just take a little longer, bake for about 1 hour.
My mom didn’t like ricotta cheese. She always used cream cheese instead. Cream cheese makes it a little runny but I like the idea of adding to the mix
We love the use of ricotta. Let me know how you like the recipe!
Is this a dish you can make ahead of time? If so, do you have suggestions?
Hi Kate! Yes, lasagna can be made ahead. Lasagna is very convenient for busy days and special occasions for that reason. Please refer to the instructions in the recipe under ‘Can I Make Lasagna Roll-Ups Ahead?’ section for details, I list both fridge and freezer options! I hope you love this recipe.
This was GREAT . I used cottage cheese and ground chicken . My husband wants me to make more. This is better than regular Lasagna. Thank You , you are so funny to watch . LOVE YOUR PERSONALITY
Hi Sue! You’re so kind. Thank you. I’m glad it was a hit!
Would I be able to substitute the mozzarella in the ball for shredded mozzarella in this dish?
Hi Penny! I think it could work. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
I saw one explanation last year of the fresh mozzarella like that being too wet for some dishes. So, i would like to know how that turned out of you used it!
I’m trying this tonight. My only question is what’s the purpose of the egg?
Hi Melissa! It acts as a binder, to hold things together. I hope you love the recipe!
I won “Best in Taste” at the workplace Lasagna Off with this recipe! Kudos to Natasha’s award winning, delicious recipe.
That’s amazing, Patty!
I made this last night and added spinach to the meat sauce. It turned out fabulous! I have plenty of leftovers too. Cant’t wait to get home today so I can have some more.
I can’t wait fo you to have more also, Kathi! I’m so glad you loved it.
So yummy and easy! Thank you for this delicious recipe! Any tips on chopping the parsley finely like your pics? I have never mastered this and wondering if there is a special tip?
You’re welcome, Heather! You’ll want to bunch the herbs closely together, keeping them tight. Use a good knife, like a large chefs knife and finely chop them with a rocking motion. You can watch a YouTube tutorial to help visualize it.