When the Picture Makes You Want to Cook the Recipe

When I first saw a picture of individual lasagna noodles stuffed with filling, rolled into tight bundles and standing on end in a deep casserole dish, I was enchanted.  Lasagna was one of my early favorite foods, and I still make it at least once a month.  But it had never occurred to me to use the noodles in this way.

For years, laziness prevailed.  Then I rediscovered the recipe I clipped out for “Lasagna Swirls,” as the writer called them, and decided now was the time.  I followed the directions carefully, or so I thought, stuffing each noodle with cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and spinach, and the resulting dish was mediocre.  One of the young family members, a budding food critic, announced, “These noodles could be armor on a tank.”

Partly it was my fault.  Although I cooked the lasagna noodles as the package instructed, I later realized they were too al dente.  They never softened in the baking because there was not enough sauce to provide the needed moisture.

What threw me off was the very thing that made me want to try the recipe in the first place—the noodles standing on end.  With the two leftover “Swirls,” I tried something different.  I laid them flat in a small baking dish, covered them with marinara sauce, covered the dish with foil and baked them for about 50 minutes.  They held their shape and still looked good on the plate.  Best of all, they tasted like lasagna. 

Lasagna Roll-Ups – serves 6-8

16 ounces cottage cheese

4 ounces grated mozzarella 

4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 cups bottled marinara sauce

12 lasagna noodles, fully cooked 

Combine the  cottage cheese, mozzarella, scallions, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a bowl. 

Begin preheating the oven to 350 degrees. 

Spoon 1/2 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of an ovenproof casserole dish or roasting pan and spread it around. 

Divide the cheese mixture into 12 portions.  Take a cooked lasagna noodle and spread one portion along the full length of the noodle.  Roll it up tightly and lay it on its side in the casserole dish, seam side down.  Continue rolling up the noodles and placing them in the dish.  

Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the roll-ups, cover with foil and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the noodles are hot and the sauce is bubbling. 

Serve 2 Lasagna Roll-Ups per person.

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