Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls
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.
This post is sponsored by KRAFT. All opinions are my own.
This recipe focuses on planning ahead, it’s a great one to prep the day ahead and eat the following day.
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.
About this recipe
The sauce used in these lasagna rolls is a simple pizza sauce made with diced tomatoes. You could use crushed tomatoes for this recipe and skip the puréeing step if you have those on hand. I like to use canned diced tomatoes because they are one of my pantry staples.
The easiest method to purée the sauce is with an immersion blender but you could 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, simmering and letting the flavors meld. The sauce is also really versatile. Use it on pizza or subs, too.
The next step is making the cheese filling with grated Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and some parsley. Add a beaten egg to help bind the mixture together. This mixture gets spread on cooked lasagna noodles and topped with slices of pepperoni. You could even add spinach or other veggies if you like.
Next, roll the noodles up and place the rolls seam side down in a prepared baking dish that you’ve already covered with a layer of that delicious homemade pizza sauce.
Repeat with each lasagna noodle until they are all filled!
Then spoon more of that delicious sauce over all the filled lasagna rolls.
Top with more great cheese….
… and decide when you’re going to bake the lasagna. If you’re planning on eating it today, pop it in the oven. If you want it tomorrow, cover the dish with foil and refrigerate. When you’re ready, put the casserole in a preheated oven and bake until heated through, golden brown and bubbling.
And clearly, the best part of the whole process is serving the lasagna rolls and eating them! Let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes just to let everything settle a little — makes it much easier to scoop out.
Enjoy!
PS: Looking for lasagna with a little less fuss? Try this lasagna soup or one pan skillet lasagna. For something a little different, try Mexican lasagna with Swiss chard and chipotle salsa.
Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls
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.
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
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (3 oz) can 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 prepared pizza sauce
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella cheese, divided
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 ounces sliced pepperoni (50-60 slices)
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- 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 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.
- 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.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. 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.
- Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread 1/2 cup of pizza sauce into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare filling in a large bowl by mixing beaten egg, ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper until well combined.
- 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 Parmesan cheese.
- 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.
Notes
Note: May be prepared in advance and baked the next day.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 660Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 1356mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 35g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
48 Comments on “Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls”
This was very good! Everyone in the house liked it! I don’t think I’d really consider this an easy recipe for everyone. It wasnt real difficult for me but I know it would be for someone who doesn’t cook all the time.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback regarding difficulty level. It’s a little tedious but I didn’t consider it difficult. It’s always nice to hear another opinion!
Delicious! I just made these on the weekend and my hubby and I love them! Thank you for the recipe – it’s a keeper :-)
So glad you like them! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment, it means so much!
This was absolutely delicious thankyou for introducing it into my life made this for my boyfriend and grandma and it was a real hit
So glad you all liked it!
I tried this and it was good did my own tweeking, no disrespect. My filling was mozzarella,cottage cheese and portabella mushrooms, spinach, and asparagus Spears cut to spread out. I used your topping and everything else. As like you I am a kraft and hunts woman. With the spinach hidden they thought it was paraley. Thanks for sharing love it!
I love your adaptations — sounds wonderful!
Would you recommend any changes in cooking instructions if I intend to freeze an entire pan to eat later?
I’ve never done it, but I’d cook it directly from the freezer, covered for the first hour. I don’t know how long it will take exactly after that, but I’m guessing it will take quite a while to bake completely.
Great recipe! We’ve done alfredo chicken lasagna roll ups before the pepperoni idea is much more kid-friendly. I save time by using store-bought pizza sauce :)
These were delicious, thank you! I threw a chopped green pepper in the ricotta mix to get more veg. Going into my recipe book for sure.
Great idea! Thanks for letting me know you liked them!
Made this tonight for the first time. Pretty good, but I think next time I will use a bit more seasoning. It is a bit time consuming to make, but well worth it in the end. Thanks for a great recipe!
I don’t normally leave reviews but this recipe was GREAT! Followed it as written. Family loved it. The sauce is wonderful. Will be making more of the sauce and freezing.
So glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for the comment :)
would you say the sauce portion of the recipe makes enough for 2 pans? or maybe 1.5? Need to double the recipe for my HUGE family we are dying to try!! looks delicious
I have to try this! (It might even make a Pintesting blog post?) Have you tried making and freezing this? I’m trying to do some freezer-friendly meal ideas. It looks totally delish!
I haven’t frozen it but I think it would freeze great! Hope you love it.
Did you end up freezing it? How did it turn out ?
I have not frozen this but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t freeze well!
This could be one of my family’s new favorites!! It was so good! The only thing I did different was add some sausage to my sauce! It was so DELICIOUS!!
Great idea! So glad you liked it. :)
This is by far, the BEST recipe I have gotten off Pinterest!! It is easy, and taste amazing!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!
That is such a great compliment! Thank you!
Oh haaaayell yes.
Thee look awesome! I love making lasagna rolls because they are so easy!
Love this idea. These would seriously be gone in like five seconds in my house!
Love this idea! Bookmarking and trying :)
Happy Blogging!
These would be a hit at our house…the kiddos would love them. I agree…spinach would be a great addition!
Yum! I would add spinach too.
I add spinach to everything. ;)
We pretty much love pepperoni pizza in our house. Now that you’ve made it into an easy pasta dish – it makes it even better.
We do too! We had it last night as a matter of fact. ;)
I love lasagna rolls on their own, but PIZZA lasagna rolls takes them to a whole new level of goodness!
Thanks Anna! I don’t think I’ll ever do them any other way ;)
Looks so yummy!
Thanks Liz!
How did you know I had leftover pizza sauce, pepperoni and parmesan cheese in my fridge? :-) Also that I need a meal for tomorrow night. I just hope I can find gluten-free lasagna noodles. :-P Thanks for this; I’ll try it even if it’s not gluten-free!
Oooh I hope you love it!
These look fantastic-gorgeous pictures! What a great suggestion for quick meal planning too! I checked out the pinterest board and have pinned away because all those ideas are great and look so yummy.
Thanks girl!
YUMMM! My kids will basically eat anything with the word pizza in it, so I bet these would be a big hit. Can’t wait to try them.
My daughter loved them!
This suits me down to the ground. I would be perfectly happy eating this until it was all gone.
Me too! It’s a little dangerous ;)
kid-friendly meal, but I’d probably have to double the recipe for my teenagers’ appetites (boy athletes), though, the 8yob will sometimes surprise me
Haha! I don’t blame you. I could eat the whole pan myself. ;)