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.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: 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
About These Pizza Lasagna Rolls
- Prep 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 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.
- Easy and flavorful sauce: The sauce used in these lasagna rolls is a homemade 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 easy to make and is mostly hands-off time. The pizza sauce is also really versatile. We love it on pizza or subs, too.
- Fun pizza flavor: Everyone loves pizza! Everyone loves pasta! The two, in one delicious meal, is a dream come true.
How to Make Pizza Lasagna Rolls
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, I 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 delicious 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.
More Lasagna Recipes
Looking for lasagna with a little less fuss? Try this lasagna soup or one pan skillet lasagna. For something a little different, try lasagna zucchini boats or stuffed shells with meat. Mexican lasagna with Swiss chard and chipotle salsa is a fun alternative, too.
Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 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)
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 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.
- 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.)
For the Lasagna Rolls:
- 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
- If you prefer to skip the pureeing step, substitute crushed tomatoes (28 oz. can) for the diced tomatoes. You can also use a jar of marinara or pizza sauce instead of making your own sauce. You’ll need 2 cups of sauce.
- 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
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!