I love to make lasagna rolls when I want to have lasagna but I don’t want to make a whole big lasagna that feeds 10 people! So when I just want to feed the three of us, I make us 2 lasagna rolls each. This could be filled with anything you want but this is my favorite because I can never decide – pesto or sauce.
The good news (for me!) is that I always have both pesto and sauce in my freezer, portioned out perfectly. I make pesto in multitude of variations but usually in the winter with arugula and in the summer basil. Both have pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic. See recipe at the end of the post. I freeze it in ice cube trays (they are about 2 tablespoons each) and then pop them out and keep them in a glass container in the freezer. When I need pesto, I count by the cubes.
Every couple of weeks, I also make a big batch of tomato sauce and freeze it in 1 cup quantities. And then it’s easy to figure out how much I need for whatever I am making.
Make this for any number of people, just adjust the ingredients as needed. Two rolls per person is a good rule of thumb.
Pesto Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
Lasagna Rolls
- 6 lasagna noodles
- 1 cup Kite Hill ricotta (or homemade cashew or tofu ricotta)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pesto, divided
- 1 cup tomato sauce more if necessary
- 1/2 cup cashew cream more if necessary
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, for garnish
Pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil or arugula
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 pinch salt
Cashew Cream
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 3/4 cup filtered water
Instructions
Lasagna Rolls
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Boil the lasagna noodles. Add a tablespoon of oil so that the noodles don’t stick.
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In the meantime, combine the ricotta and pesto. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet for a few minutes. Be careful, they toast quickly and burn fast!
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Preheat the oven to 350.
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When the lasagna noodles are done, drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
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Prepare your baking dish. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish.
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Lay the lasagna noodle vertically in front of you. Spread the ricotta mixture across the noodle in a nice layer. Roll it up and place it seam side down in a baking dish. Finish the rest of the rolls.
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Spoon more sauce over the top of the rolls. Dollop some pesto on top of each one and pour the cashew cream over the rolls.
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Bake for 30 minutes. Decorate with pine nuts before serving. Enjoy!
Pesto
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Process in the food processor until it comes together. Use immediately or freeze until ready to use.
Cashew Cream
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Process in the Vitamix until creamy and smooth. If you don’t have a Vitamix, soak the cashews for 4 hours.
