At a glance

What stands out: Pizza lasagna rolls are a fun meal that the whole family will love because what’s not to love about pizza and lasagna? With a little planning ahead, they are a great weeknight meal. This recipe is versatile and can be made ahead.

How long it takes: a half hour to prep, an hour to bake
Equipment you’ll need: large pot, skillet, immersion blender, baking dish
Servings: 5

Rolled up lasagna noodle on a square white plate. Pasta is covered with tomato sauce, cheese, and bits of fresh parsley.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls

Fun pizza flavor, in lasagna! Everyone loves pizza! Everyone loves pasta! The two, in one rich meal, is a dream come true.

From-scratch sauce. The sauce used in these lasagna rolls is a from-scratch pizza sauce. To save time, plan to make the sauce a day or two in advance and have it ready for this recipe. The sauce is straightforward to mix and is mostly hands-off time. The pizza sauce is also versatile. We love it on pizza or subs, too. (And, of course, you can always use a jar of marinara sauce instead.)

Can be prepped ahead. At first glance, this recipe might seem complicated. The great thing about these pizza lasagna rolls is that they can be prepared in advance. Simmer the sauce on Saturday, assemble the rolls on Sunday, and you’ve got an memorable dinner to look forward to on Monday. All you’ll have to do is throw it in the oven when you get home from work, or your play date, or whatever Monday might hold.

How it comes together

Make the sauce. In a bit of olive oil, sauté the onions until they soften. Add the garlic, stirring for a minute. Pour in the canned tomatoes, add the tomato paste, and the seasonings. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes or so.

Because diced tomatoes are chunky, we like to purée the sauce. An immersion blender works great because you can do it right in the saucepan. You could also use a blender or a food processor. Always be careful when puréeing hot liquids (and wear an apron!).

Cooking Tip

Skip the puréeing step. Substitute a can of crushed tomatoes for the diced tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes have a smoother texture and won’t need to be puréed. Another easier option is to buy a jar of marinara sauce instead of making your own sauce.

Make the cheese filling. In a large bowl, lightly beat an egg. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parsley (either dried or fresh) and stir well until combined.

Assemble. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with a half cup or so of the pizza sauce.

Spread an even layer of the cheese filling evenly on a cooked lasagna noodle; top with sliced pepperoni. If you want, add spinach or other veggies.

Carefully roll the noodle up and place the roll seam side down in the baking dish.

Repeat with each lasagna noodle until they are all filled!

Spoon more of that rich sauce over the filled lasagna rolls.

Top with more great cheese….

Bake the lasagna casserole. Put the casserole in a preheated oven and bake until heated through, golden brown, and bubbling.

If you are making the lasagna rolls for tomorrow or to freeze, don’t bake them. Simply cover the dish with foil, and refrigerate until you’re ready.

Cool and serve. After you take the dish out of the oven, let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes just to let everything settle a little. The noodles will absorb a bit more of the sauce and the lasagna rolls will be easier to scoop out.

Yield: 5
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Sauce (optional)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ medium yellow onion, diced small
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes (see note)
1 can (3 oz.) tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sugar
1 pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

For the Lasagna Rolls

10 traditional lasagna noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water
2 cups prepared pizza sauce (use recipe above or substitute marinara sauce)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 ¼ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 ounces sliced pepperoni ( 50 – 60 slices)

Method

In a large pan over medium-low heat, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter is melted. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until tender, about five minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Place a cover on the pan, slightly ajar, to contain spatters. Simmer for 15 minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, as needed.
With an immersion blender, CAREFULLY blend until sauce has desired texture. If you prefer really smooth sauce, use a regular blender.
Store the sauce in fridge unless using immediately. It makes more than is needed for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze extras.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles according to directions on package. Drain and rinse with cold water and lay the cooked noodles on sheets of wax paper so they don’t stick together.
Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread ½ cup of pizza sauce on the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare filling in a large bowl by mixing beaten egg, ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, parsley, and black pepper until well combined.
To prepare lasagna rolls, lay out one lasagna noodle and spread it with about 2 tablespoons of cheese filling. Arrange 5 to 6 pepperoni on top of cheese filling. Roll up each noodle starting at the short end. Place in prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat until all noodles have been filed and rolled.
Pour 1 ½ cups pizza sauce over the rolls and top with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, removing foil for last 10 to 15 minutes, or until rolls are hot and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Notes

Sauce shortcuts: You can use a jar of marinara or pizza sauce instead of making your own sauce. You’ll need 2 cups of sauce. If you prefer to make your own sauce, but want to skip the puréeing step, substitute crushed tomatoes (28 oz. can) for the diced tomatoes.

Make ahead: Prepare the casserole. Cover with foil and refrigerate up to a day in advance. It can be frozen for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking. Bake as directed.

Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls