We Know—We Had You At “Four-Cheese”
Classic Italian cuisine may be a celebration of seasonal ingredients and minimal preparation. But Italian American cuisine is—in our opinion—a celebration of abundance. And in this case, an abundance of cheese. Four kinds, to be exact. Our mushroom-dotted lasagna roll ups get their melty-gooey goodness from:
- Parmesan.
- Ricotta cheese. It’s just not lasagna without ricotta!
- Mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella, please! The kind you’d use in a caprese salad.
- Goat cheese. Our wild card ingredient! We love the creamy tang it brings to this recipe.
Tips for Making Rolled Lasagna
Who doesn't love lasagna? Really the only thing not to love about it is how it presents on the plate—it’s hard to make it look pretty. But, this vegetarian, rolled version solves all of that. It's beautiful, earthy, comforting, and simple. In other words, exactly what we want homemade Italian food to be. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you make your roll-ups:
- DON’T use no-boil noodles. This seems like a no-brainer, but also worth mentioning if you’re in the habit of buying no-boil noodles for making regular lasagna.
- DO salt the water you boil the noodles in! It makes a huge difference in the flavor of the pasta. The pasta water should be salty as the sea.
- DO use fresh cheeses! Fresh mozzarella, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Their milky-fresh flavors are what make our rolled lasagna irresistible.
- DON’T let your lasagna noodles stick together! Drain them after cooking and then rinse them with cold water and drizzle with a few teaspoons of olive oil—this will help them to not stick.
How To Make Lasagna Roll-Ups
If you’re trying to eat less meat, sometimes the key is to indulge yourself in other ways—for example, by eating hearty, comforting meals like this! Plus, by rolling the lasagna instead of making it in the traditional way, you wind up with a meal that’s really pretty, too. Here’s how to do it:
- Boil noodles! Get your salted pasta water boiling.
- Cook the mushrooms! Sauté the sliced cremini mushrooms with a little oil and garlic.
- Mix the lasagna noodle filling! Ricotta, goat cheese, mushrooms, parsley.
- Make a lasagna-rolling station! Lay a piece of parchment or waxed paper out on the counter—something the noodles won’t want to stick to—and fill and roll the lasagna rounds.
- Bake!
Tools You’ll Need:
Lasagna, Three Ways!
Well, four if you include this rolled lasagna recipe. But anyway, it seems we like to get a little creative when it comes to lasagna. Here are three different ways we make lasagna:
Roll-Up...
...Those sleeves and make this rolled lasagna recipe, stat! It’s so pretty, easy and fun to eat—it’s a no-brainer way to get rave reviews from the peanut gallery. Or at least, no complaints. Which is saying a lot. If you try this recipe, snap a photo! Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper.
