Naughty & Nice: Lasagna Rolls

It’s difficult to imagine lasagna as a more perfect synthesis of sauce, pasta, cheese, and filling. A steaming casserole of bubbling parmesan and bright tomato chunks feeds many a mouth, and only the very few can resist carving out a second gooey wedge.

This is a dish you want to serve to your family; for those who love you and who don’t judge your plating skills or your tendency to acquire a red perimeter around your mouth. But what if you could have it all and feel comfortable serving this dish for a crowd that extends beyond your forgiving kin? What if lasagna could go from homey to haute?

I am here to tell you that you can have it all. Next time you’re looking to impress, keep your cornish hens in the freezer, take that truffle oil out of your basket at the gourmet foods shop. Call the boss over for dinner, and get out a Pyrex, because lasagna rolls are lasagna’s trim and dapper cousin, flavor untarnished.

The idea of a lasagna roll is to boil your noodles, as usual. (I use the boiling water to first rehydrate dried porcini mushrooms for the filling. That way, the noodles take on a more intriguing flavor). Next, you stir together your filling of choice - get creative! And lastly, you whisk together that creamy nutmeg-flaked béchamel sauce, like old times. The rolling comes into play when the filling is spread in a generous layer over the noodles and then rolled up and placed in the casserole dish, seamside down, to bake into bubbly, elegantly-partitioned parcels. Once cooled a bit, the rolls can be easily plated as a main dish or as a side dish. No fuss, same flavor.

And let’s face it: Taking the naughty messiness out of lasagna, and cleaning them up for a first date dinner, or a classy lunch is ideal. The simplicity of this dish is hidden in the nice, gift-like parcels that will make your guests feel like an Italian emperor, and will let you keep your choicest napkins sauce-free.

Serves 8 (based on Giada De Laurentiis's recipe)

For the béchamel sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
pinch of ground nutmeg, or a few grates of fresh nutmeg
salt and freshly-ground black pepper

For the lasagna filling and assembly:
1 15 oz. container whole milk ricotta cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 10 oz. container whole leaf spinach, frozen and thawed out
¼ lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced
handful of dried porcini mushrooms
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 box lasagna noodles (about 12 pieces)
1 cup marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought
½ cup shredded mozarella

-Grease a casserole dish (glass or ceramic), with a tablespoon of butter
-Set a large pot to boil with water and a pinch of salt. Set out a sheet pan, lined with parchment, for when the noodles are pre-boiled.
-In the meantime, add butter to a medium-sized saucepan. Once melted, add in flour and whisk until combined. Pour in milk, stir, and bring up to a boil, stirring frequently. The sauce will boil for about 10 minutes, or until thickened. Off the heat, add in nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
-Once the water is boiling, add in a handful of porcini mushrooms. Let cook for about 2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Next add lasagna noodles, about 4 at a time. Cook for about 6 minutes per group, removing with a slotted spoon and laying out on sheet pan. The noodles cook until almost al dente to prepare for further cooking in the oven.
-While the noodles are boiling, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, add in the filling ingredients. Make sure that the spinach is well drained of water. And add in the mushrooms that were boiled, slicing thinly. Mix until well-combined.
-To assemble: Ladle béchamel sauce into a greased casserole pan. Spread until the base is covered in a thin layer. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto a lasagna noodle and roll up. Place in the pan, seamside down. Do the same with the rest of the noodles. Ladle sauce over the rolls and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
-Cook covered with foil for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.