rollin'...rollin'...rollin'

Everyone has a lasagna recipe that they love. It's a go to comfort food that spans gaps in culinary expertise, culture, and age. I mean, what's not to love about this dish. It's got layers of pasta, cheese, sauce, whatever you've got on hand, and then it's topped off with more sauce and more cheese. Hard to mess up and easy to love. Add a slice of garlic bread and a good glass of wine and voila...a lovely dinner.

Now...I do have one major issue with lasagna. It's a real pain in the ass to serve and keep together. Layers of cheese, pasta, and sauce are great...but keeping it all stacked up out of the pan can be a challenge. And don't even get me started on taking the leftovers to work the next day. So what to do ? Lay it down and roll it up. This recipe, inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis, is basically a lasagna jelly roll. Easy to serve, easy to travel, and still filled with any delicious concoction you can come up with. I haven't made traditional layered lasagna since coming across this technique and think you'll find it just as user friendly and versatile as I do.

Bechamel Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

Directions

Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Lasagna

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 medium zucchini chopped

1 medium summer squash chopped

1 shallot chopped

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 large egg, beaten to blend

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 cups marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the zucchini and summer squash and toss to coat. Saute till vegetable begin to soften but retain shape, approx 7 min. Add shallots and cook until soft, additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine sauteed vegetables, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes.

So there you go...simple, portable, single serving lasagna rolls. Not only are they single servings...but you can have multiple fillings in one batch. Do some with meat and some without, the choice is yours (or your guests as it may be). The bottom line is instead of creating one large batch of lasagna, create your own cornucopia of lasagna options. Rolling with the punches has never been tastier.

Mangia e statti zitto...

cheers...

dunkin