Super Easy and Awesome Pasta Roll-Ups

If you read the comment I made yesterday in response to Firemom’s Chicken Pot Pie comment, I said that I was working on a pasta recipe for today – one that came in my What-Used-To-Be-Free-and-I-Loved-It-But-Will-Now-Be-A-Paid-Publication Kraft Foods Food & Family Magazine (I’ll blog more about that at a later date).

Basically, I’m looking for quick and easy stuff I can do after work and when flipping through F&F on Friday at the stop light, I saw a recipe for something called “Cheese-Lovers Pasta Roll-Ups” – but the reality is, it’s more like a super easy Manicotti (you know minus the pain in the you know what shells) or even a cleaner and in my opinion, easier Lasagna. Bottom line – this is easy and inexpensive to make – plus, it’s a great Prep & Freeze (up to one month) meal, if you like doing that sort of thing.

So, let’s get started.

First, the recipe makes 8 Servings – a serving is considered 2 roll-ups per person – so make concessions for that, if you’re feeding a house full of growing boys.

On your grocery list, you need the following:

• An Egg
• 15 oz. container of Ricotta Cheese
• 2 Cups of grated Italian 3 cheese blend
• 4 Green Onions
• Italian Seasoning, if you don’t already have it in your spice rack
• 26 oz. Jar (or in my case, because I really like Hunt’s canned sauce) of Spaghetti Sauce
• Box of Lasagna noodles (the recipe says 16 noodles, which it will easily make)
• 1/4 cup of grated (not the dry green jar stuff) parmesan cheese

Ok, so you’ve gone to the store, picked up your ingredients and now, it’s time to get started.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (the all important FIRST step that is always the LAST step in my kitchen, due to absentmindedness)

Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl until well blended while you cook your lasagna noodles per the package instructions.

Spread about half (maybe a little less) of your sauce in the bottom of a 13X9 casserole dish/baking dish.

Allow the noodles to cool some, so they don’t burn your fingers while you roll.

Then, spread about 3 tablespoons of cheese mixture over the length of each noodle, roll and place seam side down in the dish.

Cover with remaining sauce and parmesan cheese.

Once you’ve completed all the steps, you’ll cover the dish with foil and bake for 50 minutes at 375 degrees, removing the foil for the last ten minutes to allow the cheese to get good and gooey.

Ok, now you have to know I did some MacGyver’ing when making this for my family. I just can’t leave well enough alone – and the point I went off the reservation is right before the “Cover with remaining sauce…” – step. What I did was just pore a tiny bit of sauce on each little noodle pod and then added some canned (I know, I know…but I *like* canned) mushrooms over the top before pouring the remaining sauce and adding the parmesan.

We like us some mushrooms with our Americanized Italian food – personally, I’d have loved to add some black olives too, but the old man can’t stand them and I wanted to feed him something besides Lucky Charms for dinner – even if they are magically delicious.

I should add – I also added some chopped garlic to this masterpiece – I didn’t include it in the recipe because unlike most self-respecting cooks, I buy my garlic already diced and covered in olive oil – so I just dumped a little in. I’d suspect, if you’re a garlic lover and you want to add it, you can add about half a clove or so – whatever tastes and feels right for your family.

Like last night, I am writing this as the dish is cooking – so I haven’t actually tasted it.

We’re serving ours with:

• Italian Salad (Italian salad mixed greens, with garlic croutons, romano cheese and my secret weapon – Olive Garden Italian Dressing – because yes, you can buy that stuff in a bottle at the restaurant, in case you didn’t know)
• Garlic Cheesy Bread (loaf of Italian bread, toasted in the broiler with garlic butter (real butter, mixed with the garlic I talked about above) then sprinkled with cheese after removing, but while still hot)

Try it, tell me what you think – I’ll come back and post my feedback when I’m done eating!

Related posts:

1. Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
2. I Had A Swell Day – Seriously =)
3. It Wasn’t All Bad…