My Lasagna Roll Ups recipe takes the best of classic Lasagna but makes it easier to serve, faster to bake, and ready to serve right away – no resting time required! They are make-ahead, freezer-friendly, and reheat well for an easy weeknight meal or meal prep idea.
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Helpful Reader Review
“I was so surprised how easy this recipe was to make and how fast it was to prepare. My husband asked 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!!!” – Brandi ★★★★★
Watch My Lasagna Rolls Video
We love comforting pasta dishes like Chicken Tetrazzini, traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Baked Mac and Cheese; in fact, these are among the most requested meals in our family. Try this Lasagna Roll-Ups recipe and you will make it over and over. Double the recipe and stash one tray in the freezer for an easy and delicious meal that’s ready to cook from frozen!
Best Lasagna Roll-Ups Recipe
These Lasagna Roll-ups have all the elements of Classic Lasagna – 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.
This easy dish keeps well in the fridge or freezer for the perfect meal-prep or make-ahead dinner, so be sure to double the recipe for two nights of lasagna goodness. P.S. If you make my Spaghetti Sauce, you can use leftovers for these Lasagna Roll Ups.
Ingredients for Lasagna Roll Ups
The ingredients for lasagna roll ups are nearly the same as classic lasagna, so you know it will taste good.
- Lasagna noodles – Go with plain lasagna noodles, not the no-boil variety, so they hold their shape once cooked. You can even make your own pasta.
- Ground Beef – using 1lb of 80/20 or 85/15 works best for flavor without being too greasy, but you can swap for Italian sausage or use ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner lasagna.
- Marinara – make this quick homemade Marinara Sauce or use a jar of store-bought
- Aromatics – diced onion, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Cheeses – we make a 3-cheese sauce with ricotta cheese (use whole milk so it’s not too liquidy), Parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella.
- Egg – this binds the filling together, but you can omit it if needed.
- Fresh Parsley – chopped, or 2 Tablespoons dried parsley.
How to Make Lasagna Rolls
This lasagna roll ups recipe results in 12 perfectly portioned servings of lasagna, so it’s brilliant for parties!
- Cook the noodles in salted water until just al dente (don’t overcook), as they will continue cooking in the oven. I always make a few extra noodles in case they break when cooking. Drain, and cover in cool water.
- Ragu Meat sauce – brown the beef, and then add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Then stir in the marinara. Spread 1/2 cup in a 9×13 casserole.
- Cheese sauce – combine the ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley.
- Roll – Lay out the cooked noodles, and then spread cheese sauce and meat sauce on each. Roll up and place seam-side down in the dish.
- Top the rolls with the remaining meat sauce and mozzarella.
- Bake – Cover and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes. Uncover to broil for 2 minutes, garnish with parsley, and serve.
How to know when Lasagna Rolls Ups are Done?
When the lasagna roll ups are finished baking, they will be bubbling, and the cheese will be melty on top from the short broil.
What to Serve with Lasagna Roll Ups
My lasagna roll ups recipe is filling and satisfying with plenty of protein, flavor, and melty cheese, so I love to serve this with a simple Italian salad and crusty bread to sop up every drop of the Ragu sauce, and don’t forget dessert! Here are a few of our favorite recipes:
- Caesar Salad
- Panzanella Salad
- Tomato Burrata Salad
- Easy Garlic Bread
- Focaccia Bread
- Panna Cotta
- Tiramisu
Make-Ahead and Storage
My lasagna roll-ups recipe is perfect for making ahead to share with others or to have a meal ready anytime.
- Make-ahead: Cool the baked casserole to room temperature, cover and store, or you can cover tightly with foil and store before baking in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for 3 months. Bake from the fridge for 50 minutes or from the freezer for an hour.
- To Refrigerate: Cover cooled leftover rolls and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Cover the cooled leftover roll ups or transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cooked leftovers in the freezer overnight.
- To Reheat: Cut a portion to heat in the microwave until warm, or reheat covered in the oven until heated through.
My super-easy Lasagna Roll Ups recipe has all the melty, savory, satisfying flavors of classic lasagna in a single portion size. You’ll love how easy it is to serve, but it also reheats well for a perfect make-ahead dinner. You’ll love these leftovers!
Lasagna Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles, *cooked to package instructions
- 16 oz ground beef, 85% lean
- 32 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
- Cook the noodles – Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cook noodles in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions for al dente (don't overcook), then drain and fill pot with cold water to stop the cooking process and keep noodles from sticking together.
- Meat Sauce – 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 sauté 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.
- Cheese Sauce – 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.
- Roll – 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.
- Top – Spread remaining meat sauce over the tops of roll-ups and sprinkle on the remaining 1 1/2 cups of 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.
Notes
- Make ahead – either store baked and cooled casserole covered in the fridge or the freezer for up to 3 months; or store covered before baking overnight in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Bake uncooked rollups directly from the refrigerator or from the freezer.
- Refrigerator – store cooked and cooled roll ups in the fridge, covered with foil, for up to 4 days.
- Freezer – Cool leftovers and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat – take out a roll or two and reheat in the microwave until warm, or put casserole dish back in the oven at 350°F until warmed through.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Lasagna Recipes
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- Italian Lasagna
- Chicken Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Lasagna Soup
- Bonus: Chocolate Lasagna
Once the 12 rollups are cooked would it be ok to stack them I am making 24-32 for a party pot luck Thought I could stack to cut down on pans for transportation
Hi Ross, that’s a great quesiton, I’ve never stacked them before to afvise, I imagine it will take longer to bake since it will need to be a deeper pan. I know you’re trying to save space, but I have baked two pans at the same time before, single layered rolls and that worked out well. I worry stacked, the bottom layer will not have the cheese layer baked properly. I wish I could advise.
I would cook in single layers then stack them in one pan for transporting them
Are you taking the noodles directly out of the cold water and placing on pan for use or did you dry them first?
Hi Jamie, I let the excess water drip off and then place them in the pan.
Delicious! Your directions were clear so prep was a breeze. Thank you!
Thank you for your good comments and feedback!
I made these but it wasn’t enough cheese & I followed the recipe exactly as stated.
When I went to roll them up all the cheese came out & it was a mess. When we went to eat them there wasn’t hardly any cheese & they were flavorless. What can I do to make these better
Hi Doris! If your ricotta cheese has more liquid, drain it prior to using it in the mixture so it doesn’t water it down. You can add more shredded cheese if you’d like to boost the cheese flavor.
Great Idea..Thank You. Love all the recipes & your new cookbook!!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so excited to hear you love my book!
Can I make ahead and then put them in a slow cooker instead of baking? I’ve been making lasagna roll up for years but always baked them. This is for a larger gathering so it would be much easier to make in a slow cooker. I was thinking on low for 4 hours but increase it after 2 or 3 if it looks like it’s needed. Any thoughts?
Hi Jackie! I haven’t tested a slow cooker. I think it may work. You can also reheat them and store in a slow cooker. You may be interested in Easy Crockpot Lasagna Recipe here.
I was hoping to make this as an uncooked freezer meal to give to a friend. When baking it from the freezer how do the baking instructions differ from baking them thawed? Or is it better to bake it first then freeze it? If you bake it first how would you reheat it from the freezer then?
Hi Sarah, I have notes on that Make Ahead and Storage section of the recipe post. “store covered before baking overnight in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Bake uncooked rollups directly from the refrigerator or from the freezer.” I hope this helps.
I may have missed it but if you bake 6 rollups, uncooked from frozen , how long should it take at 350
Hi Corrie, the Make-Ahead section has this detail: Bake from the fridge for 50 minutes or from the freezer for an hour.
Can I assemble them and put in fridge then bake next day?
That would be fine, Lianne. I hope you love them.
These sound delicious!
Question, my nephews are meat lovers, they don’t like ricotta. Would these work ok with just the meat sauce filling?
Hi Nancy- that should work ok, but to help hold them together you can use some of the mozarella or Parmesan.
I sub cottage cheese every time. No one in my family like ricotta cheese.
I make these all the time and personalize them for my family. I don’t eat ricotta cheese so when I roll mine up, I just lay down the meat sauce (I use turkey sausage), add spinach, and roll. I put the meat sauce and mozzarela cheese on top as specified in the directions. I make a chart on a piece of paper so I know which ones are without the ricotta filling.
Thank you for sharing that option with us, Diane.
I made these for my kids 40 years ago but left all the meat sauce for the top and added a squeezed thawed 10 oz box of chopped broccli to the cheese mixture!
Last night I made your cilantro lime chicken! Still our Favorite Natasha recipe!
This recipe is amazing! I made this for my family last week and everyone loved it even more than traditional lasagna!!
This recipe is spot on as far as quantities, etc.. The next time I make it I will add half of the tomato sauce to the meat mixture so it is not so soupy for rolling up, then put the other half of the sauce over the top. Excellent dish!
Hi Natasha,
I made these today and just want you to know that we all loved them!
My granddaughter enjoyed making them with me.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes ♥️
That’s so great to hear, Iris!
Thanks Natasha’s for the advice. then I will do them in Ramekins and keep an eye on them on the baking status.
Hi Natasha in my previous comment I forgot to mention whether I can bake these lasagna Roll ups Individually in Ramekins to keep in party table.
Yes, that would work. You can bake them at the same temperature but keep an eye on them, they will get done sooner.
Hi Natasha, Can we bake these Lasagna roll ups separately to serve separately in a party Please advice me how to do that. I have made your beef and chicken lasagna’s so many times for my parties they were very yummy. and the guest love to have it for a change I like to have this lasagna roll ups if I can have it separately I can arrange my table in a more different way. awaiting for a quick response.
Hi Sanari! I’m so glad you love the lasagna recipe. Yes, you can bake them separately too.
A-MAZING!! My Family LOVED these!! I upped the Lasagna Noodles to 24 because I wanted to make a Larger Batch. I normally make My Own Sauce…but I cheated this time & used (3) 24oz Jars of Sauce from the grocery store & I added a couple Tablespoons of Sugar because of the acidity. I also used 1 lb of Ground Beef & 1 lb of Mild Italian Sausage (because My Family LOVES a much meatier sauce.) Everything else was to the T.
I have to add…My Husband & My 3 Boys are VERY picky eaters. Things need to be made (at least) 80% from scratch (processed foods make Them all sick. It’s been like that since They were all little.) So this recipe fits PERFECTLY in Our Family Menu. They knew the Sauce tasted different…but They still liked it. I Love that it’s a fun new way to make Lasagna!!
Thanx for the Awesome Recipe!!
You’re very welcome, Danielle! It sounds like you found a way to put your own spin on it. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
You’re such an amazing cook, I’ve tried and loved many of your recipes. Thank you for helping so many of us 💖
Thank you so much, Marilyn. That’s very sweet.
I have never made lasagna roll ups before, but I’m gonna try this recipe, how many people does this feed?
Hi Mardi! It really depends on who is eating. For a family do 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) this is enough with leftover. It makes 12 rolls total.
Love how the measurements were exact for putting this delicious recipe together! And it was delicious! Your recommendation for assembling it in a sheet pan was appreciated, too. I trust your recipes. Thank you!
I have made this recipe of yours multiple times and they are always amazing and a huge hit with my family. They are my daughter’s favorite and she specifically requested them for her birthday dinner, which I am making tonight! Thank you for an amazing recipe!!
You’re very welcome, Sarah! & happy birthday to your daughter!