Roasted vegetable lasagna roll-ups recipe
These roasted vegetable lasagna roll-ups turn a very traditional pasta dish into something a little more fresh and exciting. Skipping the everyday layered beef and tomato, lasagna roll-ups combine roasted mushrooms, vegetables and mozzarella cheese in fun, easy-to-make roll-ups. Covered in a creamy béchamel sauce, these are so good that your kids may not even realize they’re actually eating their vegetables.
Back when I was a teenager, I landed one of my first jobs as a line cook at a local Italian restaurant. I needed money, they needed someone with laughably inadequate experience in the food industry. I remember actually having trouble sleeping the night before my first shift because I was worried that the mere act of eating Kraft spaghetti might not be the culinary skillset I could really put to use behind the line.
I needn’t have worried. A vending machine that could also sweep and mop would have suited them just fine. For months, my job was mind-numbingly simple. “Drop a spag” upon request and cook frozen lasagna in foil pans marked Institutional Use Only. I was certain that those frozen lasagnas were actually misappropriated prison food served out of our restaurant as a part of some sort of sophisticated mafia scheme. But I wasn’t going to ask anyone about their business — we’ve all seen that movie and those rules seemed exceedingly clear.
After about a year of cooking supermax lasagna and dropping plastic baskets of noodles into hot water, I moved to the front of the house as a server. But after so long as a human noodle robot, the damage had been done. The further away from noodles and tomato sauce I could get the better. I suddenly found myself far more open to non-traditional dishes and began eating different foods like it was my job. Trust me, sauce a thousand plates of spaghetti a week for awhile and you’ll happily be eating sea cucumber egg jerky with Andrew Zimmern.
These days, I may still get a bit twitchy when I pass the Stouffer’s frozen lasagna at the grocery store but more traditional Italian fare is back on the menu. My taste for unusual dishes and world cuisine has only grown over time and I’m constantly looking for new spins on old — dishes just like these vegetable lasagna roll-ups. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with your grandmother’s lasagna but maybe mix it up every once awhile with something a little bit different.
Image: ForkingSpoon
Roasted vegetable lasagna roll-ups recipe
Roasted vegetables and shredded mozzarella cheese are rolled into lasagna pinwheels and topped with a creamy béchamel sauce for a healthier take on lasagna.
Ingredients
Instructions
Start the roux
In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Slowly add the flour to the butter, whisking constantly. Cook for about 5 minutes until the béchamel begins to form a soft, golden paste that bubbles slightly. Don’t let the mixture brown.
Slowly add milk
In a separate, second saucepan on medium to high heat, bring milk to just under a boil. Very slowly add the hot milk to the roux (the butter and flour mixture), whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Add stock, cheese and spices
Bring the béchamel sauce to a simmer and add the stock, parmesan cheese, ground white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and the nutmeg. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reached the desired thickness, remove from the heat and let the sauce rest for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to cool slightly. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare the vegetables
In a medium mixing bowl, gently mix the mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, onion, garlic, mini peppers with olive oil (use more than a tablespoon if necessary). Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and mix again, making sure the vegetables are well coated with the oil and spices.
Roast the vegetables
Place the mushrooms and vegetables on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes to ensure the vegetable mixture is cooking evenly. Set aside when finished.
Cook the lasagna noodles
While the vegetable mixture is cooking, prepare the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Prepare a baking dish with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.
Fill the lasagna noodles
Lay out the lasagna noodles (short side facing you) and and spread a little of the sauce on each noodle with approximately a 1/2-ounce of shredded mozzarella cheese. Add vegetable mixture to each noodle, enough to fill the roll-up and allow it to roll smoothly. Leave about 1-inch of empty noodle at the top. Reserve some of the vegetables for garnish.
Roll the roll-ups
Carefully roll the roll-ups and stop when you reach the top of the noodle you left empty. Wet the noodle and seal the roll-up (use a toothpick if necessary). Place the roll-up facedown in a baking dish and cover with sauce and shredded mozzarella.
Cook the lasagna roll-ups
Cook for 20 minutes or until the lasagna roll-ups are completely cooked through and the cheese is melted. Garnish with the reserved vegetables.
Notes
If you don't have vegetable stock handy and aren't vegetarian, chicken stock makes a convenient and tasty substitute for the vegetarian stock in the béchamel sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Start the roux
In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Slowly add the flour to the butter, whisking constantly. Cook for about 5 minutes until the béchamel begins to form a soft, golden paste that bubbles slightly. Don’t let the mixture brown.
Slowly add milk
In a separate, second saucepan on medium to high heat, bring milk to just under a boil. Very slowly add the hot milk to the roux (the butter and flour mixture), whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Add stock, cheese and spices
Bring the béchamel sauce to a simmer and add the stock, parmesan cheese, ground white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and the nutmeg. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reached the desired thickness, remove from the heat and let the sauce rest for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to cool slightly. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare the vegetables
In a medium mixing bowl, gently mix the mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, onion, garlic, mini peppers with olive oil (use more than a tablespoon if necessary). Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and mix again, making sure the vegetables are well coated with the oil and spices.
Roast the vegetables
Place the mushrooms and vegetables on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes to ensure the vegetable mixture is cooking evenly. Set aside when finished.
Cook the lasagna noodles
While the vegetable mixture is cooking, prepare the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Prepare a baking dish with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.
Fill the lasagna noodles
Lay out the lasagna noodles (short side facing you) and and spread a little of the sauce on each noodle with approximately a 1/2-ounce of shredded mozzarella cheese. Add vegetable mixture to each noodle, enough to fill the roll-up and allow it to roll smoothly. Leave about 1-inch of empty noodle at the top. Reserve some of the vegetables for garnish.
Roll the roll-ups
Carefully roll the roll-ups and stop when you reach the top of the noodle you left empty. Wet the noodle and seal the roll-up (use a toothpick if necessary). Place the roll-up facedown in a baking dish and cover with sauce and shredded mozzarella.
Cook the lasagna roll-ups
Cook for 20 minutes or until the lasagna roll-ups are completely cooked through and the cheese is melted. Garnish with the reserved vegetables.
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