LASAGNA ROLL UPS WITH KITCHEN STAPLE SPAGHETTI SAUCE
Everyone can agree that generally homemade is better than store-bought. For example, store-bought spaghetti sauce is alright. But a homemade sauce with meat and spices is so much better.
However, sometimes it isn’t very practical to make something completely from scratch. It would take a lot of work to buy fresh tomatoes, dice them, crush them, and stew them into a sauce. Not to mention, it would be a lot pricier as well.
So why not work smarter and take something (jarred spaghetti sauce) that’s already okay, but make it a lot better?!
That’s the reasoning behind my recipe for Kitchen Staple Spaghetti Sauce. By the time you add spices and Italian sausage, I promise that no one would ever guess your recipe included a jar of Ragu!
This spaghetti sauce recipe really is a staple in my kitchen. I like to make a big batch on Sunday so I have it ready for the rest of the week to mix with noodles or ravioli for a quick (but delicious) meal.
And the best part about this recipe is that you can’t mess it up! Customize it by omitting or adding the spices you find most appealing. And if you have trouble getting your kids to eat their vegetables, you can even sneak in zucchini pieces or small carrot slices and they won’t even know!
To go along with today’s Kitchen Staple Spaghetti Sauce recipe, I’m including my recipe for Lasagna Roll Ups. When I first started cooking, I tried to make lasagna many different times, but it always turned out “gloopy” and fell apart. So I adapted the traditional lasagna recipe into a roll up recipe.
And it turned out awesome!
In fact, I now prefer these roll ups to regular lasagna because they’re easy to dish out and they’re already perfectly proportioned. They also freeze and re-heat very well. And of course, they taste best with the Kitchen Staple Spaghetti Sauce recipe!
KITCHEN STAPLE SPAGHETTI SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
1/2 white or
yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon of minced
garlic
1 tablespoon of
brown sugar
1 teaspoon of
dried basil
1 teaspoon of dried
oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of
red pepper
DIRECTIONS
Brown the sausage
in a pan on medium heat.
As the sausage
starts to brown on one side, flip it over and start to cut it into small pieces
either with the end of a metal spatula or food shears.
Continue to cook
and cut the sausage until it’s no longer pink.
Line a bowl with
paper towels and dump the sausage in the center to drain the grease.
Meanwhile, dump
the jar of spaghetti sauce in a large sauce pan.
Add the onion,
garlic, brown sugar, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, and red pepper to the
sauce pan.
Heat the sauce
pan on medium heat and stir to combine.
Add the sausage
to the sauce pan and stir again.
Continue to heat
the sauce over low heat and continue to stir it periodically for 20 minutes.
The raw Italian sausage uncased and in the pan
As the sausage starts to brown, I cut it into small pieces with food shears
The browned sausage
Draining the grease from the sausage
The jarred spaghetti sauce with spices
Mix all of the spices into the sauce and add the sausage
Mix the sausage into the sauce and let it simmer on low for about 20 minutes so the flavors combine
LASAGNA ROLL UPS
INGREDIENTS
8 lasagna noodles
15 ounces of
ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded
mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan
cheese, divided
1 large egg
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons
pepper
2 teaspoons
garlic powder
3 cups spaghetti
sauce
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to
400 degrees Fahrenheit
Put a large pot
of water on the stove top on high heat
When the pot
comes to a full boil, add the lasagna noodles and cook for 8 minutes.
Drain the noodles
in a colander
Lay the noodles on
a flat surface and set aside
Prepare the
filling for the roll ups by combining the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/4
of the parmesan cheese, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl
Mix thoroughly
and set aside
Prepare a glass
casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray, set aside
Lay out one of
your lasagna noodles on a plate and place about 4 tablespoons of the ricotta
cheese mixture on the noodle.
Spread the
filling evenly on the noodle so that it reaches all the way to both edges
Roll the noodle
up and place in the prepared casserole dish
Repeat the
process with the noodles until all of the ricotta mixture is gone. I am usually
able to make about 6 roll ups. You may be able to make a few more though
depending on how thick you like the ricotta mixture.
Pour the
spaghetti sauce over the roll ups
Cover the dish in
foil and bake for 25 minutes
Remove the dish
from the oven, take off the foil, and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan
cheese
Place back in the
oven and bake for 5 more minutes
Remove from oven
and serve!
Lay out the cooked and drained noodles on a flat surface
The prepared filling for the roll ups
Spread the filling evenly on the noodles, roll up, and place in baking dish
I am usually able make 6 roll ups
Cover the roll ups on all sides with spaghetti sauce
The roll ups fresh out of the oven
Sprinkle with basil if you like and serve!