Lasagne Rolls

Sometimes a full pan of lasagna is too much kitchen for a Tuesday night. These rolls solve that neatly: cooked lasagne noodles get laid flat, slathered with a three-cheese ricotta-egg-mozzarella filling, then rolled into tidy pinwheels and tucked into individual baking dishes under a quick spoon of tomato sauce.

Rolling the noodles starting from the narrow end gives you a firmer spiral that holds together when the fork goes in. The damp towel underneath keeps the pasta pliable and stops it from tearing. Egg in the filling is what keeps the ricotta from weeping watery liquid into the sauce as it bakes.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overcook the noodles. Boil them a minute or two shy of package al dente, since they’ll finish cooking in the oven.
• Shock cooked noodles in cold water, then lay them flat on a damp towel. Dry noodles crack the moment you roll them.
• Use a full-flavored marinara rather than plain tomato sauce. The thin swipe on top means every drop counts.
• Cover the dish loosely with foil for the first 25 minutes, then uncover to let the Parmesan brown.
• Make ahead: assemble the rolls up to a day before, refrigerate covered, and add 10 minutes to the bake.

Variations

• Stir ½ cup chopped spinach or sauteed mushrooms into the filling for a veggie version.
• Add a layer of cooked Italian sausage or ground beef between the noodle and filling for a meaty roll.
• Swap half the ricotta for cottage cheese if you prefer a tangier, lighter filling.