cooking with crystal: Caprese Lasagna Roll ups

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

This recipe for Caprese Lasagna roll ups is a winner!

The cheese mixture is full of flavor, fresh tomatoes added to any dish make it better, and the basil on top is just perfection.

When you make the marinara sauce it is the perfect blend to hold it all together.

This recipe has a few different steps going on, but once it comes together it is sure to be a wonderful addition to your recipe book!

It is one of my favorites!

You will need:

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked

14 oz freshly shredded, low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese, divided

3/4 cup Ricotta cheese

1 large egg white

1/3 cup freshly, finely shredded Parmesan cheese

freshly ground black pepper

3 - 4 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

1 cup marinara sauce, recipe follows

Simple Marinara Sauce

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic finely minced

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente.

Drain pasta (DO NOT rinse with water) and align lasagna noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.

{while that is going I would make the marinara sauce so that it has plenty of time to simmer}

Simple Marinara Sauce

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.

Add onions to hot oil and saute about 3 minutes until soft, adding garlic during last minute of sauteing.

Pour in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and allow sauce to cook for about 25 - 30 minutes (which will allow some of the water in crushed tomatoes to evaporate) while you prepare pasta and lasagna filling.

For the cheese filling, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese and egg white until well blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Mix in 12 oz. of the Mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste (I wouldn't recommend seasoning with salt just because the cheeses already have plenty of salt).

Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other.

Align 4 thin tomato slices over cheese mixture then sprinkle fresh basil over top.