These pizza lasagna rolls are a fun meal that the whole family will love — what’s not to love about pizza and lasagna? With a little planning ahead, they are a great weeknight meal. 

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

This post is sponsored by KRAFT. All opinions are my own.

As I mentioned last week, I’ve partnered with KRAFT and HUNT’s to bring you a little series about making weeknight meals easier. In my first post, I provided some tips for simplifying weeknight meal prep. Boiled down, the two main tips are these:

  • Plan ahead.
  • Have a stocked pantry — in my first post in this series, I told you why KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese and HUNT’s Diced Tomatoes have a spot in my fridge/pantry.

This recipe focuses on planning ahead. Next week I’ll bring you a recipe that can be created with all pantry staples. (This one can too, actually, depending on your definition of “stocked.”) This recipe would be a great one to prep the day ahead and eat the following day.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

At first glance, this recipe might seem fancy and complicated. They are pretty little lasagna rolls, after all. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be prepared in advance. Even over a couple of days! Make the sauce Saturday, make the rolls Sunday, and you’ve got an amazing 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. We all know Monday could use all the help it can get, so having dinner waiting in the fridge for you is definitely something to look forward to at the end of the day.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

The sauce used in these lasagna rolls is a simple pizza sauce made with HUNT’s Diced Tomatoes. You could used crushed tomatoes for this recipe and skip the puréeing step if you have those on hand. I chose to use the diced tomatoes because they are one of my pantry staples. I like them because they have multiple functions and can be used for traditional things such as beefing up a soup or chili but they can also be quickly puréed for a sauce such as this one. I used my immersion blender to purée the sauce but you may also use a blender or a food processor. Always be careful when puréeing hot, red liquids! And wear an apron. Plan to make this sauce a day or two in advance and have it ready for this recipe. The sauce is really simple to make and is mostly hands-off time for it to simmer and for the flavors to meld.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

The next step is making a quick mixture to fill the rolls with. It starts with KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and some parsley. Throw in a beaten egg to help bind the mixture together. This mixture gets spread on cooked lasagna noodles and topped with slices of pepperoni.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

You then roll them up and place them seam side down in a baking dish that has been sprayed and given a layer of that delicious homemade pizza sauce.

pizza-lasagna-rolls-600-web (4 of 11)

Repeat with each lasagna noodle until they are all filled!

pizza-lasagna-rolls-600-web (5 of 11)

Then you spoon more of that delicious sauce over all the filled lasagna rolls.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

Top with more great cheese….

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

This is when you would cover with foil and refrigerate if you were making this a day in advance. When you’re ready, you’ll stick it in a preheated oven and bake until heated through, golden brown and bubbling.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

And clearly, the best part of the whole process is serving these up and eating them! I let my pan rest for about 10 minutes just for everything to come back together a little. This makes it easier to serve.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

Enjoy!

Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls

Yield: 10 lasagna rolls

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

These pizza lasagna rolls are a fun meal that the whole family will love — what’s not to love about pizza and lasagna? With a little planning ahead, they are a great weeknight meal.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced small
  • 28 ounce can HUNTS’s 100% Natural Diced Tomatoes
  • 3 ounces tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • pinch of 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 of the pizza sauce you prepared
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 and 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 and 1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
  • 3/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 ounces sliced pepperoni (50-60 slices)

Directions:

For the Sauce:

  1. 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 saute until tender, about five minutes. Stir in HUNT’s 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, tilted slightly to let some steam out.
  2. Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. With an immersion blender, CAREFULLY blend until sauce has desired texture. I love it slightly chunky. If you like it really smooth you can also throw it in a blender. Store in fridge unless using immediately. (It makes more than is needed for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze extras.)
For the Lasagna Rolls:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook noodles according to directions on package — once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and lay out on sheets of wax paper so they don’t stick together.
  2. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread 1/2 cup of pizza sauce into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare filling in a large bowl by mixing beaten egg, ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated KRAFT Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper until well combined.
  4. To prepare lasagna rolls, lay out one lasagna noodle and spread it with about 2 tablespoons of cheese filling. Lay out 5-6 pepperoni on top of cheese filling. Roll up each noodle starting at one of the short ends. Place in prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat until all noodles have been filed and rolled. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups pizza sauce over the rolls and top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup KRAFT Parmesan cheese.
  5. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes (remove foil for last 10-15 minutes) or until hot and cheese is melted. Let stand about 10 minutes prior to serving.

Note: May be prepared in advance and baked the next day.

All images and text ©Rachel Cooks.

Verdict: We all loved these pizza lasagna rolls. What is there not to love about pepperoni, cheese, pasta and homemade sauce?
Husband’s take: See “Verdict.”
Changes I would make: None are necessary, but knowing me, I’d probably “health” it up a little next time with some chopped spinach.
Difficulty: Easy!

Follow Rachel Cooks | Rachel Gurk’s board Pasta on Pinterest.





Pizza Lasagna Rolls on RachelCooks.com

Still need more “Inspired Authenticity, Weeknight Simplicity” inspiration? I have a Pinterest board devoted to the subject and you can also check out KRAFT’s Facebook and Pinterest pages for tons of great recipes.

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Disclosure: I am working in partnership with the KRAFT brand and I am receiving compensation for my participation in this campaign. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.