Easy Lasagna Rolls with a Savory Blend of Cheese and Sauce

Make a large batch of these meaty and cheesy lasagna rolls, and freeze them to help make quick dinners on busy days. Get a quick start by using Make-Ahead Seasoned Ground Beef and Sausage.

Ingredients :

Roll-Ups (to make ahead and freeze)
16 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2 lb bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce
2 containers (15 oz each) ricotta cheese
1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves or Italian seasoning
1 egg
Sauce and cheese (for baking roll-ups)
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

Instructions :

1. In 5-quart Dutch oven, cook lasagna noodles as directed on package. Drain; rinse with hot water. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook beef, sausage and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
3. In small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, spinach, basil and egg. Spread about 3 tablespoons ricotta mixture over each cooked lasagna noodle to within 1 inch of one short end. Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture over ricotta mixture on each. Roll up firmly toward unfilled end. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil. Place roll-ups, seam side down, on pan; cover loosely with foil. Freeze about 30 minutes or until firm.
4. Place frozen rolls in airtight freezer container; label. Freeze up to 3 months.
5. To bake 16 lasagna roll-ups, spray two 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dishes with cooking spray. Remove roll-ups from freezer bag; place 8 in each baking dish. Cover with foil; thaw in refrigerator at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
6. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce over and around roll-ups in each baking dish. Cover tightly with foil; bake 30 to 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle each baking dish with 1 cup mozzarella cheese; bake uncovered 3 to 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Expert Tips

• You can actually bake any number of these tasty lasagna roll-ups that you need, using about 3 tablespoons of your favorite pasta sauce and about 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese for each roll-up you are baking.
• Save some time by using 4 cups frozen (thawed) Make-Ahead Seasoned Ground Beef and Sausage for the beef, sausage and onion in this recipe. Place the thawed mixture in skillet, and add the pasta sauce; continue as directed in recipe.
• Since you won’t use a whole jar of pasta sauce when preparing the roll-ups for the freezer, place remaining sauce in a freezer container; label and freeze. Thaw along with the roll-ups.