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A baked lemon-ricotta lasagna roll-up with Bolognese, grated Parmesan and two slices of crusty bread
Lemon-ricotta lasagna roll-up with Bolognese and crusty bread

Recipe 008 · Pasta

Lemon-Ricotta Lasagna Roll-Upswith Matty’s Semi-Homemade Bolognese

Upright spirals of lasagna layered with lemony part-skim ricotta, mozzarella, freshly grated Parmesan, and rich Bolognese, nestled in sauce and generously covered with cheese.

Prep
About 35 min + sauce
Cook
40 min + brief broil
Makes
16 (1 roll each)
Star ingredientLemon-ricotta filling

Part-skim ricotta with the zest and juice of a whole lemon, mozzarella, black pepper, and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan.

02

Make it

  1. Prepare Matty’s Semi-Homemade Bolognese using the separate recipe linked here. Reserve sauce for the bottom of the dish and for topping; let the filling portion cool enough to handle.

  2. Heat the oven to 375°F. Cook the regular lasagna noodles according to their package directions until flexible but still slightly firm. Drain and carefully separate them, laying them flat so they do not stick together.

  3. In a large bowl, mix the 32-ounce container of part-skim ricotta with the zest and juice of one lemon, black pepper, 1 cup mozzarella, and a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan. Stir until evenly combined.

  4. Spread a layer of Bolognese across the bottom of one or more deep baking dishes large enough to hold 16 rolls upright. If this portion of sauce is too thick to spread, loosen it with a little water.

  5. Lay one noodle flat on a clean work surface. Spread a layer of the lemon-ricotta mixture along it, leaving a little space at the edges, then spoon a layer of thick Bolognese over the cheese.

  6. Starting at one short end, gently roll the noodle along its length into a spiral. Turn it upright, with the spiral facing up, and place it in the prepared dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles, arranging the rolls snugly so they support one another.

  7. Tuck any leftover cheese mixture into the spaces between the rolls. Spoon plenty of Bolognese over the tops, between the rolls, and around every side of the pasta so it stays moist during baking. Generously scatter more shredded mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan over the whole dish.

  8. Cover with foil, tenting it above the cheese, and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and the centers hot; allow extra time if needed for a cold assembled dish.

  9. For a golden top, briefly broil in a broiler-safe dish, watching continuously and checking every 20–30 seconds. Stop as soon as the cheese is golden; it can go from browned to burned quickly. If your baking dish is not broiler-safe, skip the broiler and allow more time uncovered in the oven.

  10. Let the rolls rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Lift each roll from underneath, keeping its spiral upright, and spoon over some of the sauce from the dish. This batch makes 16 roll-ups; one roll-up is one serving.

Baking notes

Watch the broiler closely! Matty left this batch under it two extra minutes and burned the top. Stay beside the oven and watch continuously; do not walk away. Aim for golden cheese and take the dish out promptly. Parmesan and topping mozzarella are added generously to taste.

Vegetarian variation

Vegetarian Lemon-Ricotta Lasagna Roll-Ups

Use meat-free marinara or another vegetarian tomato pasta sauce in place of the entire Bolognese sauce.

What changes

  • The same noodles and lemon-ricotta cheese filling
  • Meat-free marinara or another vegetarian tomato pasta sauce, as needed for filling, underneath, and on top

Make it vegetarian

  1. Leave out the ground beef and use a meat-free sauce rather than jarred Bolognese. If you want the same semi-homemade flavor, soften a chopped Vidalia onion in olive oil, add garlic and red pepper flakes, then stir in two jars of meat-free sauce, basil, and Italian herbs and simmer.
  2. Use the vegetarian sauce in every layer: underneath the rolls, over the cheese filling, and on top. Assemble and bake exactly as directed above.

From Matty's kitchen

The recipe, step by step

Make the sauce first using Recipe 007.
01 · Prepare the BologneseMake the sauce first using Recipe 007.
Mix ricotta, lemon zest and juice, pepper, mozzarella, and freshly grated Parmesan.
02 · Lemon-ricotta fillingMix ricotta, lemon zest and juice, pepper, mozzarella, and freshly grated Parmesan.
Regular ruffled noodles, cooked until flexible and ready to fill.
03 · Cook the noodlesRegular ruffled noodles, cooked until flexible and ready to fill.
Spread lemon ricotta along a noodle, then add a layer of Bolognese.
04 · Layer the fillingSpread lemon ricotta along a noodle, then add a layer of Bolognese.
Place the first roll, spiral facing up, on a bed of Bolognese.
05 · Stand the spiral uprightPlace the first roll, spiral facing up, on a bed of Bolognese.
The first upright roll seen from above.
06 · A bed of sauceThe first upright roll seen from above.
Arrange the rolls snugly together, tucking leftover cheese mixture between them.
07 · Fill the dishArrange the rolls snugly together, tucking leftover cheese mixture between them.
Spoon plenty of sauce over, between, and around every side of the pasta before adding the final cheese topping.
08 · Upright spiralsSpoon plenty of sauce over, between, and around every side of the pasta before adding the final cheese topping.
Cover with more shredded mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan.
09 · Top generouslyCover with more shredded mozzarella and freshly grated Parmesan.
The cheese-topped dish before baking.
10 · Ready for the ovenThe cheese-topped dish before baking.
Matty’s finished batch: two extra minutes under the broiler burned the top. Watch continuously and remove as soon as golden.
11 · Fresh from the ovenMatty’s finished batch: two extra minutes under the broiler burned the top. Watch continuously and remove as soon as golden.
Plenty of Bolognese surrounds the baked rolls and keeps the pasta moist.
12 · Sauce on every sidePlenty of Bolognese surrounds the baked rolls and keeps the pasta moist.
One roll-up is one serving, with plenty of sauce and optional crusty bread.
13 · Ready to serveOne roll-up is one serving, with plenty of sauce and optional crusty bread.
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