Since Christmas is almost here I thought I’d prepare a recipe ideal for the holidays: lasagna rolls in tomato sauce. Of course in a lighter version, without overdoing the filling and sauce but still getting a flavorful and satisfying dish.
I must say I had a lot of fun making all the rolls. I used a pack of fresh lasagna sheets, a Dutch brand but just like the Rana sheets. The rougher industrial sheets aren’t suitable and also double the Weight Watchers points, better to avoid them.
If you make the pasta at home make sure each lasagna sheet is worth about 1.5 WW points. But now let’s move on to the preparation — it looks long only because explaining it takes more time than making this delicious recipe.
You can find some other first-course ideas for the holidays here:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Low cost
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 30 rolls
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 1/4 cup tomato passata
- to taste basil
- to taste salt and pepper
- 10 sheets lasagna sheets (fresh, like Rana sheets)
- 7 oz lean cooked ham (for the vegetarian version read the FAQs)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 7 oz smoked scamorza cheese
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste salt and pepper
- Total points = 45.5 WW points
- Points per roll = 1.5 WW points
- Points for 6 rolls = 9 WW points
Tools
- Cheese slicer
- Hand blender
Steps
Sauté the onion sliced into strips in the teaspoon of oil and add a little water if it starts to dry out too much.
Pour in the tomato passata and cook gently for about ten minutes. It should not reduce too much.
Add salt, pepper and fresh basil. Let cool and blend the tomato sauce to a purée with an immersion blender.
First, immerse the lasagna sheets in salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and let them dry on a clean dish towel that doesn’t smell of detergent.
Mix the ricotta together with half of the grated Parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper until you obtain a creamy mixture.
Coarsely cut the ham into strips and slice the scamorza very thin: I used the specific gadget called a cheese slicer.
Spread a little ricotta cream on each lasagna sheet, then some ham and finally the scamorza. To ensure the filling is well distributed, put it mainly on one half of the sheet, as in the photo.
Now you can roll the filled lasagna sheet from the short side.
Cut the roll into 3 evenly sized rolls. You can also leave it uncut and you’ll get cannelloni.
In a baking dish large enough to hold all the lasagna rolls put a few spoonfuls of the previously prepared tomato sauce.
Then place all the rolls in the dish as shown in the photo.
Pour the remaining tomato sauce over all the rolls and sprinkle the surface with the other half of the Parmesan.
Bake at 392°F for about 20 minutes then turn off the oven and let rest a few minutes before serving.
Our lasagna rolls are ready to be enjoyed! They’re really pretty, aren’t they? The process seems elaborate but it’s very easy and worth it — they’re delicious and make an impression at the table.
In any case it’s also possible to prepare the lasagna rolls the day before: put everything in the baking dish and bake the next day.
At home we licked our lips and surely this dish will be on the table during the Christmas holidays.
As always I look forward to your comments below or on Facebook.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
How can I make this dish suitable for a vegetarian diet?
For a vegetarian version first make sure to use cheeses made with vegetable rennet. Then instead of cooked ham you can use thin slices of grilled zucchini or sautéed mushrooms.
How can I dress the rolls other than with tomato sauce?
If you prefer you can also make a white version using béchamel instead of tomato sauce. My light béchamel is here: Light béchamel. But please note: in that case you should add a couple of WW points per serving.
