Pesto Lasagna Roll Ups
Updated March 26, 2019
Our basil plants were starting to look droopy because they had so many basil leaves on them. I didn’t want them to look sad so I used the basil leaves to make a few batches of my Spinach Basil Pesto. I stocked our freezer with pesto and used some to make Pesto Lasagna Roll Ups, one of our favorite dinners!
Lasagna Roll Ups are fun to make and fun to eat! Instead of layering the lasagna in a pan, you put all of the ingredients inside of the lasagna noodles and roll them up!
I made a simple creamy béchamel sauce and a pesto spinach filling. I also added lots of parmesan and mozzarella cheese because it’s lasagna and cheese is a MUST!
The rolling part is the best part, well besides the eating part. And every time I make these I get the “Rollin’ with My Homies” song in my head. If you’ve seen Clueless, you know what I am talking about. And please tell me you’ve seen Clueless. I don’t know if we can be friends if you haven’t seen it:)
I top the roll ups with more sauce and more cheese and bake until bubbly!
I love that the lasagna roll ups are individual servings of creamy, cheesy, pesto lasagna! Classic comfort food with a fun twist! And if you have extras, you can put them in the freezer! They freeze beautifully!
Pesto Lasagna Roll Ups are great for an easy weeknight or weekend dinner and the entire family will love them! Enjoy!
Pesto Lasagna Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles
For the Béchamel Sauce:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk at room temperature
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt
For the Pesto Filling:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 10- ounces frozen spinach thawed, drained, and squeeze to remove water
- 1/2 cup Basil Pesto
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese plus 3 tablespoons, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and cook the lasagna noodles to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and carefully lay the lasagna noodles out flat on a large piece of parchment paper or cooling rack. Let sit to cool.
- To make the béchamel sauce, heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and foaming. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, ½ cup at a time. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens and is the consistency of cream. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt, to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, garlic, spinach, pesto, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with ½ cup of the béchamel sauce.
- Take about ¼ cup of the ricotta spinach mixture and spread it evenly onto each lasagna noodle. Top each noodle with 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of béchamel sauce. Carefully roll the noodles up and place them in the prepared pan. Top the lasagna rolls with the remaining béchamel sauce and remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Spray a large sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover the pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted on top. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
- Note-the lasagna roll ups freeze well. Cool completely and place in freezer containers. Freeze for up to 1 month.