I will admit, originally when I saw this recipe, I thought “Those are so cute… but they look like a pain in the ass.”  However, when I went and looked at the recipe, I was fully convinced that it was not any more complicated than just making a regular lasagna.

I was right.  I found this, if done properly, to be extremely quick and easy, maybe even easier than layering a lasagna.  And of course, much cuter.  It’s the perfect way to make a lasagna a little more elegant- maybe for a dinner party.

The beautiful little rolls lend perfectly to portion control as well.  My husband and I each had a roll and felt very full.

I used ground turkey to lighten up the recipe a bit, and whole wheat lasagna noodles, but you could use any kind of ground meat and any kind of lasagna noodle (except those no-bake ones)

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Homemade by Holman

Ingredients:
8 lasagna noodles
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 egg
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 T fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 T fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. When it reaches a boil, salt liberally and drop noodles. Stir occasionally and cook to just al dente. You want to leave them slightly more firm since you’ll be baking the pasta. Drain noodles and line them up flat on a piece of parchment paper – Very important for ease in assembly.
Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add turkey and brown. When almost cooked through, add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 the basil, and oregano and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg. Add ricotta, Parmesan and remaining basil and oregano and stir together. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Add enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.

To assemble, on a drained noodle, add a spoonful of ricotta mixture.

Top with a spoonful of meat sauce

 and roll up.

Place seam side down in pan. Continue until you’ve used all the noodles.

Top each with a little more meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella, and more parmesan.

Bake approximately 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.