Lasagna Rolls

If I had to name my favorite foods, pasta and cheese would certainly be toward the top. So cheesy lasagna? Oh yea, baby. I'm also a fan of taking something traditional and giving it a twist, so this recipe for lasagna rolls has been one of my favorites for many years. I found the recipe in the first cookbook I ever got, Good Housekeeping's Step-by-Step Cookbook, given to me as a gift by my Aunt Chris. I've changed it ever so slightly. Here's what you do:

Ingredients

1/2 package lasagna noodles (approximately 10)

2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (I like to use Hunt's tomatoes)

1 (8 0z.) can tomato sauce

15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese

6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

3 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and black pepper

4 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

Olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 zucchini, peeled and diced

1 bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced

Directions

1. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box.

2. Drain and rinse the noodles in cold water. Return the noodles to the pan and cover with cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other.

3. In a 9x13-inch casserole dish, combine the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and salt, to taste. Break up the stewed tomatoes with clean hands (or the back of a spoon if you don't want to get your hands dirty).

4. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, black pepper and 3 tbsp. chopped basil.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6. Drain the lasagna noodles and lay them in a single layer on a clean surface. Pat them dry with a kitchen- or paper towel.

7. Taking one noodle at a time, and using a spoon or clean hands, spread approximately 1/4 cup of the cheese filling on the noodle.

*Note: If the noodles are wet, the filling will be much more difficult to spread, so make sure you dry them well in the previous step.

8. Roll up the noodle and cut in half with a sharp knife.

9. Arrange the noodles cut-side down in the sauce of the casserole dish. Repeat with all of the noodles.

10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until heated through.

11. While the noodles are baking, mince the garlic and chop the onion. Also peel and dice the zucchini, and seed and dice the bell pepper and tomato.

12. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and zucchini, and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato and remaining 1 tbsp. basil and saute another couple of minutes. Remove from heat.

13. Serve the lasagna rolls on a plate with some of the sauce and the vegetables spooned over the top.

The last time I made these, I served them with garlic bread and a salad (check out the bottom of this post for the salad recipe).