I love lasagna as much as the next person, but sometimes I get frustrated when it comes apart. I don’t have the patience to let it sit for a while after it comes out of the oven, so I usually have to deal with “deconstructed lasagna,” a.k.a. lasagna that falls apart.

That’s why I love these lasagna roll-ups. They’re fun and easy to make, and they stay in one piece better than towering layers of flat lasagna noodles.

These lasagna roll-ups can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. You can use jar marinara sauce for the top like I did, or if you want to make your own sauce or use some homemade that you have on hand, you can.

You can also sub in different meat if you want. I really like the prosciutto in this dish, though. My trick for making it seem more meaty is rolling up the thin prosciutto and then chopping it, so it sticks together and becomes more like thick chunks. My boyfriend told me he liked the consistency of it and was surprised by how meaty it was. I rarely cook with meat so I think he appreciates it when I sneak some in.

The roll-ups are delicious on day one but they’re even better on day two, which is a feat for a pasta dish. My boyfriend and I microwaved the leftovers yesterday and they were so good. The flavors really came together and the texture of the lasagna was still on point.

Here’s a song to get you started on your lasagna roll-up journey.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

Ingredients

for the béchamel sauce:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 tsp AP flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch ground nutmeg

for the lasagna:
1 15-oz container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
3 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions

First, make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk the mixture for a few minutes. Whisk in the milk and increase the heat to medium high. Whisk the sauce for a few more minutes until it starts simmering and has thickened. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Set the sauce aside.

Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until it’s well blended.

Generously salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the olive oil and cook the lasagna noodles until they’re tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the noodles.

Spoon the béchamel sauce into the prepared pan and spread it out to coat the bottom. Place the noodles on a work surface and spread about 3 Tbsp of filling on top of each one. Roll up and then place the noodles, seam-side down, in the béchamel sauce. Make sure the noodle roll-ups do not touch. Pour the marinara sauce on top and then sprinkle on the rest of the Parmesan cheese and the mozzarella cheese.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!