I only have one kid in school, and it’s pre-k, but I still feel like I need my weeknight meals to be easy. I can’t imagine how busy my evenings will seem once I have multiple kids in school and have to juggle extracurricular activities with that as well. I think the bottom line is that everyone wants an easy weeknight meal. I have lots of delicious, easy weeknight meals on the blog and I still get so many requests for more. Because whether you have one kid, five kids, or no kids, weekdays are busy! Maybe you work long hours or have a long commute and you just want to come home to a dinner that’s easy, delicious, reasonably healthy, and comforting after a long day. These pesto ricotta lasagna roll-ups really couldn’t be easier or more perfect for a cozy weeknight meal.
I love a good meatless meal, and pasta is one of the easiest meals to enjoy without meat. We generally try to eat meatless at least two days a week, ideally three depending on what our plans are and how our leftovers work out. It seems to be a healthy fit for our family and we’ve done it for years. I know a lot of people abide by “Meatless Monday,” and being Catholic we never had meat on Fridays during Lent. Lots of good reasons to have a few delicous meatless options that still fill you up!
Anyways, let’s talk about lasagna. Making a pan of lasagna is a ton of work. But lasagna roll-ups? These are perfect. They take way less time to make, to bake, and maybe even to eat. Plus this is an easy option to make an advance, so if you’re like me and make dinner during afternoon naptime, these pesto ricotta lasagna roll-ups are perfect for you.
While these are perfect for busy weeknights, they’re also great for the weekend. I spend many of my weekdays testing and photographing recipes for the blog, so it’s nice to have weekend meals that are easy. Really, there’s no reason not to make these!
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 28 oz. tomato sauce
- 15 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- ½ tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. ground dried thyme
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ¾ cup pesto
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- 1½ cups mozzarella cheese, divided
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cool lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, thyme, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- In a medium bowl, mix together pesto, ricotta, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray an oven-safe baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or use a large cast-iron skillet. Spread a thin layer of prepared sauce on the bottom of the baking dish or skillet.
- Cut cooked and cooled lasagna in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of pesto-ricotta filling on the end of each noodle, then roll and place in prepared baking dish/skillet.
- Repeat until done with all noodles.
- Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbling.
- Enjoy!
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