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Meat Lasagna Roll-Ups

Source of Recipe

From "Back Around the Table" by David Venable


Recipe Introduction

"Just about the only Italian food my mom cooked was spaghetti with meat sauce. Whenever I was invited over to my buddy Frank's house, I hoped that his mom would make her lasagne. It was love at first bite. Lasagne is traditionally made by layering sauce, noodles, and cheese with more sauce, noodles, and cheese. But in my version, you spoon sauce and cheese onto cooked lasagna noodles, roll them up, and place them in a baking dish. Each rolled bundle then becomes an easy-to-serve generous portion."

List of Ingredients

Meat Sauce:
â—¦ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 1 cup finely chopped white onions
â—¦ â…“ cup minced carrot
â—¦ â…“ cup minced celery
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 3 tablespoons tomato paste
â—¦ â…› cup red wine
â—¦ 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
â—¦ ½ pound ground pork
â—¦ ½ pound ground veal
â—¦ 1 (28-ounce) can puréed tomatoes with basil
â—¦ 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil
â—¦ 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Lasagna Roll-Ups:
â—¦ 12 lasagna noodles
â—¦ Vegetable oil spray
â—¦ 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
â—¦ 1 large egg, beaten
â—¦ 1 ½ cups (5 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
â—¦ 2 ½ cups (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrot, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and sauté until the tomato paste turns a deep red, about 5 minutes. Add the red wine, stirring to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until the wine evaporates, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables from the pot to a bowl.

Add the beef, pork, and veal to the Dutch oven and, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, cook until the meat loses its pink color. Once all the meat is cooked, remove any excess fat with a ladle or spoon. Return the vegetables to the pot and add the tomatoes and their juices, the salt, and the pepper to the meat mixture. Simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the sauce from the heat.

While the meat sauce is simmering, cook 12 lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and lay out the noodles in a single layer on a clean towel so they don't stick to one another.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly spray the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Spoon about 3 cups meat sauce into the baking dish.

Mix together the ricotta, egg, ¾ cup of the Parmesan, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and the pepper in a bowl. Evenly spread about ¼ cup of the cheese mixture over each noodle. Next, evenly spread about 2 tablespoons meat sauce over the ricotta. Roll up each noodle like a jelly roll. Place each one, seam side down, in the prepared dish. They should fit snugly in the dish. Top each roll with 2 tablespoons meat sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ cups mozzarella and ¾ cup Parmesan on top. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 to 12 servings