Pesto Lasagna Rolls – Recipe Girl®

Ingredients Needed:

• lasagna noodles
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• unsalted butter
• all purpose flour
• whole milk
• egg
• ricotta cheese
• frozen chopped spinach
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• grated Parmesan cheese
• pesto sauce
• crushed red pepper flakes

How to make Pesto Lasagna Rolls:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Preheat the oven to 425℉.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles 1 minute longer than the package says is al dente. The pasta should be tender enough so you can roll it without breaking. Drain; and rinse with cold water. Lay in a single layer on a cutting board.

MAKE THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and is the consistency of a thin gravy, 6 to 8 minutes. Allow the bechamel sauce to cool slightly.

CONTINUE WITH THE FILLING & ASSEMBLY:

Cover the pan with foil, and bake until the rolls are heated through and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is browned on top, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

In a large bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the ricotta cheese, spinach, 1½ cups of the mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of the Parmesan, ½ cup of the pesto, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir the remaining ½ cup pesto into the slightly cooled bechamel sauce.

Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread ¼ of the pesto-bechamel sauce on the bottom of the dish.

Spread ⅓ cup of the ricotta mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle. Starting with the short end, roll each noodle up. Ass you make the rolls, transfer them to the prepared baking dish seam-side-down. Spoon the remaining pesto-bechamel sauce over the lasagna rolls and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.