Pesto lasagna roll ups made with pesto, mozzarella cheese and zucchini and topped with bechamel sauce, more pesto and parmesan cheese. You are going to love this mouthwatering twist on the classic lasagna!
I have to confess that I usually make lasagna for the holiday, I haven’t making fresh pasta in a long time, so I decided to make a vegetarian Lasagna roll ups, which is a bit faster than making a classic lasagna. This rolls up are the quintessential summer recipe to make right now!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
-Pesto lasagna roll ups are a rich vegetarian meal that combines the best summer ingredients with one of the most traditional homemade Italian pasta recipe!
-Easy to serve, each Pesto lasagna roll ups is an individual portion. A fun twist on the classic and most traditional lasagna that will satisfy the whole family!
-They freeze well, so you can make a batch and have them ready when you will miss the fresh taste of summer pesto.
PESTO LASAGNA ROLL UPS INGREDIENTS
To make this lasagna roll ups you will need the following ingredients:
Basil Pesto: I like to make my own pesto and I have a traditional Italian recipe. I wrote an entire post about pesto, so please read here. Making pesto is fast and easy, once you will make homemade pesto you will never buy again store-bought one. Trust me!
Homemade lasagna roll ups: to make this lasagna sheets you will need 00 Italian flour, durum wheat flour and eggs. This pasta is a bit more rustic compared to the classic lasagna recipe as the durum flour add a bit of more consistency and it is a higher in protein. I recommend to cut the noodles in 9*3 inches size so that you will obtain nice rolls up that will hold the yummy content. Use a pasta bike to obtain nice ribbon rims on the longer sides.
Bechamel Sauce or white sauce: this is the rich creamy sauce that is necessary on any kind of lasagna. It is homemade and it is very easy! You can find the steps here.
Mozzarella: I chopped 5 oz of cow’s milk mozzarella, it is enough to make it gooey without being to cheesy. You can add 1 cup of ricotta cheese, if you want a richer meal, but I think the mozzarella and Parmesan are making this lasagna shine with all its delicious pesto flavor.
Parmesan Cheese: you cannot miss the last sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano on top.
Zucchini: they are in season and they give a nice consistency to this recipe. If zucchini is not your thing, you can sub them with chopped spinach.
HOW TO MAKE PESTO LASAGNA ROLLS UP
To make these lasagna noodles from scratch, prepare all your ingredients: the lasagna noodle, the bechamel sauce, the pesto, the sliced zucchini and the cubed mozzarella.
For the lasagna noodles follow the instruction in my blog post. To make the size of a lasagna roll up, simply cut the lasagna sheet in size of 9*3 inches. It will roll easily and will hold all that goodness. You will have to boil the lasagna noodle until al dente, before layering them. It will be necessary to cook the lasagna sheet before rolling them. Boil them for 2-3 minutes in. a large pot of salted water.
Once your lasagna noodles are cooked, place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and allow them to cool down for a few minutes.
Once cooler proceed with layering them. Start by spreading some bechamel, then add pesto, then add zucchini, continue with mozzarella, a sprinkle of Parmesan, more bechamel sauce and roll up!
Continue until you finish all your ingredients. Take a baking dish 9*9 inches and spread some of the bechamel sauce. Add all the rolls. Top them with pesto, bechamel sauce and Parmesan.
Bake in the oven at 375° F for around 45 minutes. Allow them to sit a few minutes and serve them!
MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR YOU
Straw and Hay Homemade Fettuccine
Pesto Salad with Shrimp and Farro
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH PESTO LASAGNA ROLL UPS?
Lasagna roll-ups are a meal bu themselves. Since they are filling, I recommend serving some bites to have enough space to enjoy the rolls up in all their glory. Some ideas are a simple side salad such as Italian green salad, Bright Spring Salad or any of the side dish.
HOW CAN I STORE PESTO LASAGNA ROLL UPS?
These pesto roll ups freeze very well for 3-4 weeks in an airtight container in the the freezer. Reheat them from frozen in the oven at 375° F for 1 hour. You can also store it in the refrigerator but you will need to consume it within 2-3 days.
WHICH WINE CAN I PAIR WITH PESTO LASAGNA ROLL UPS?
The best wine for these vegetarian Pesto Lasagna Roll ups is definitely white wine. I recommend a Vermentino from Liguria with this dish, as its herbaceous flavor pairs well with basil, the main ingredient in the pesto and clean the palate after each creamy rich bite.
If you are a little more adventurous instead, a Grillo would be a good choice. This is a Sicilian wine that is very mineral and salty due to the soil in which the vineyards grow, therefore it balances very well the richness of the cream sauce and the cheese.
If you try this recipe and you liked it, please leave a star review below! I would be very appreciative of your comments! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @Italian_kitchen_confessions I hope you loved it! To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup 00 flour
- ¼ cup durum flour
- 3 units egg yolks
- 1 unit egg
FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE
- 16 fl oz milk whole
- 4 tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 tsp nutmeg
FOR THE PESTO
- 5 cups basil leaves
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 tbsp pecorino
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
- 2/3 cup Parmesan grated
- 10 oz zucchini sliced horizontally
- 5 oz mozzarella
Instructions
STEP 1: Prepare the ragu’ sauce
- Make the pesto blending all the ingredients together. Please refer to my pesto post for more.
STEP 2: Prepare the lasagna pasta sheets
- Mix together the 00 flour and the semola. Make a wheel in the center and add 3 egg yolks and 1 full egg. Follow the procedure here.
- The size of the lasagna sheets will depend on the size of your baking pan. For this recipe, I used a 9×9 inches pan, so I cut my lasagna into 9 x 3 inch. You will obtain 6 individual sheet that you will roll up, after you layered them as indicated in step 4.
- Cook the lasagna sheet in salted boiling water, 2/3 minutes until al dente. Place them on a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper.
STEP 3: Make the bechamel sauce
- Heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, grated nutmeg and cook, stirring for about a minute. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk.
- Return the pan to the stovetop and simmer, stirring until the sauce thickens. Transfer it to a container and cover it with a plastic wrap until you will use it.
STEP 4: Make the lasagna roll ups
- Take on of your lasagna sheets, put a layer of bechamel sauce, a layer of pesto sauce, add 2 slices of zucchini, add some mozzarella, add parmesan, finish off with more bechamel sauce and roll up.
- Continue until you will finish all the ingredients.
- Take a square or rectangular baking pan. Add some bechamel sauce. Palce all your rolls. Add more bechamel sauce, pesto and Parmesan on top.
- Bake the lasagna in the oven at 375°F (180°C) for 45 minutes until the cheese has melted and formed a nice crust.
- Allow the lasagna rolls to cool for 15 minutes so that it settles a bit, and then serve it. Enjoy it!
Nutrition
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piatto invitante e sicuramente delizioso