As an Italian, it would be an absolute tragedy if I didn’t like lasagna. Well luckily, I don’t have to ever worry about that, because I absolutely love this pasta dish: layers and layers of cheese, sauce, and… more cheese. But as much as I love a traditional lasagna, my absolute favorite way to enjoy lasagna is in roll-up form. Whenever I eat lasagna rolls, I always think of it as eating my own personal lasagna. Rolling up each lasagna sheet creates its own little layers of cheese filling and pasta, so in a sense, it really is my own little lasagna! Plus, it’s actually really easy to assemble and takes just about the same amount of time as making a traditional, layered lasagna.
Every time I make lasagna rolls, I always cut each lasagna sheet in half and then spread the filling on it. This way, when you roll the pasta sheet up, it creates a smaller, tighter roll that, in my opinion, has a more equal portion of pasta to filling. But that’s just me – you certainly don’t have to cut the sheets in half if you don’t want to! 
By making smaller rolls, you get a lot more of them – I usually completely fill one 9×13″ dish and one 9×9″ dish. What does this mean? You’ll have meals completely made for the week or even some meals to freeze! Luckily, these rolls taste great as leftovers, and I’m more than happy eating lasagna multiple times per week! However, on those weeks when I’m not feeling lasagna every single day, I always freeze one of the dishes after it bakes. This way, it’s all cooked and ready-to-go; I just simply have to de-frost it and re-heat it when it’s time to eat!
Another option if you know you’re not going to eat all of these at once is to bake only one dish (or portion the rolls out into two dishes with what you know you will eat). With the second dish, instead of baking it, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, and then place it in the freezer to freeze. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw the dish in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 – 2 days before serving, and then follow the baking directions below. Or if you’re in a bit of a time crunch and forgot to thaw the dish first, simply throw the frozen dish in the oven and bake it for about 90 minutes, or as needed until cooked through.
After that, it’s time to dig in!
Just look at how ooey gooey and delicious this looks! And the best part is that these rolls are incredibly easy to dish out, since they’re already individually-wrapped! 
After you dish one onto your plate (or three, because let’s be honest… who can stop with just one piece of lasagna?), I’d suggest waiting a minute or two for the rolls to cool off. I know, I know, it’s so hard to wait when all you want to do is dive right in, but trust me on this one. You don’t want to burn your mouth and not be able to taste anything for the next day, do you? Yeah… didn’t think so.
Once it cools, though, nothing is stopping you from digging right in! Enjoy!
- 16 lasagna sheets (sometimes more, sometimes less)
- 1 (32-ounce) container ricotta cheese (2 lbs.)
- 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ⅓ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained very well OR 1 bag (8-10 ounces) fresh spinach
- ½ tsp. each: garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt
- 1 tsp. each: dried basil and dried oregano
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 eggs, slightly beaten
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped (or ~2 TBSP dried parsley)
- 1 (32-ounce) jar marinara sauce (or 4 cups homemade sauce) plus more for serving
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- If using frozen spinach, make sure it is thawed. Open the package, pour it into a strainer, and squeeze all of the liquid out until no water remains.
- If using fresh spinach, heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 TBSP oil. Add the spinach and cook it down until wilted, stirring constantly. Once cooked, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the lasagna sheets and cook until just about done (they will finish cooking in the oven). Once done, drain pasta and lay them out flat on a cookie sheet.
- Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, drained or cooled spinach, seasonings, and eggs. Mix everything well.
- Add about 1½ - 2 cups of marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish.
- Cut each lasagna sheet in half, and then scoop about 1 TBSP of filling (more or less, as needed) into the roll. Spread it out, leaving a bit of space at each end, and then roll it up.
- Continue with the remaining lasagna sheets, and then place the rolls in a single layer in the sauce-lined baking dish.
- Once the first layer is completed, top with an additional layer of sauce, making sure all the rolls are covered. You may need more sauce to coat everything - you don't want the lasagna sheets to dry out while they are baking!
- Place the remaining rolls on top. Top the rolls with another layer of sauce, and then sprinkle with 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, according to taste preferences.
- If all the rolls do not fit in one dish, you may need to use another (I usually end up using a 9x13" dish and an 8x8" glass dish).
- Cover with aluminum foil, and then bake for about 35 minutes.
- Remove the foil and place the dishes back in the oven to bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the lasagna edges are crisp and browned.
