Lasagna Pinwheels

Name: Lasagna Pinwheels
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 12 serving
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; one 1-inch wide section of yellow onion; 1 cup whole milk; 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ½ cup ricotta cheese; ½ cup Parmesan Cheese; ½ cup mozzarella cheese; 1 pound ground sweet italian sausage; 2 tablespoons olive oil1; 1 cup yellow onion; 1 celery rib; 1 cup carrots; 3 to 5 cloves garlic; 6 ounce can tomato paste; 1 cup dry white wine (chardonnay; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon fennel seed; 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes; 1 cup whole milk; 6.5- ounces canned tomato sauce; 5 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 cloves garlic

User Reviews

5.0

21 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 55 mins
Servings
12
Calories
486 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Lasagna Pinwheels

Jade Rice

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Rolled up lasagna that’s filled with juicy Italian sausage and a rich and creamy bechamel sauce before being baked in tomato sauce and more cheese! Comfort food at its finest that the whole family will LOVE! Shortcuts provided if you want to use store bought sauces rather than making your sauces to save time in the Notes section.

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Ingredients

Servings

Bechamel Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
one 1-inch wide section of yellow onion use the rest in the bolognese
1 cup whole milk at room temperature
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Bolognese Sauce

1 pound ground sweet italian sausage or spicy/hot sausage or lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil1
1 cup yellow onion diced small
1 celery rib diced small
1 cup carrots shredded
3 to 5 cloves garlic finely minced
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine (chardonnay pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc or low-sodium chicken broth(
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
½ teaspoon fennel seed
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup whole milk at room temperature

Tomato Sauce

6.5- ounces canned tomato sauce
5 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely minced
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Lasagna Noodles

12 classic dry lasagna noodles no-boil or 'oven-ready' not recommended
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons salt not teaspoons, to ensure your. noodles have flavor; or as desired

Cheese Layer

1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese shredded; divided
½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated or shredded; divided
8 ounce package fresh mozzarella pearls balls, or ciliegine

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Instructions

Bechamel Sauce

To a large, high-sided skillet, add the butter, onion, and heat over medium-high heat to melt the butter and cook the onion for 2 minutes; stir constantly.
Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly until lightly golden browned. Tip - This is a roux. Do not shortcut this step of making the roux or your sauce will never thicken later and you'll have to start over.
Slowly add the milk, thyme, salt, pepper, optional nutmeg, and continue whisking for about 5 minutes nearly constantly, until the sauce has thickened a bit.
Take the skillet off the heat, add the 3 cheeses, and stir to combine until they've melted.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion bits and pieces and the thyme sprig if you used fresh thyme; set sauce aside.
Bolognese Sauce
To a large skillet, add the sausage or beef and cook over medium-high heat until cooked through, making sure to stir and crumble as it cooks to ensure even cooking. Do not drain off any fat or grease because you need it for the next steps.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just beginning to soften; stir nearly continuously.
Add tomato paste, wine (careful it will bubble up), Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, fennel seed, and stir to combine.
Add the canned crushed tomatoes, milk, stir to combine, and allow the sauce to simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and tender, and the sauce has reduced in volume, and has thickened.
Taste the sauce and make any necessary seasoning adjustments such as more salt and pepper, more sugar to take off the acidity, etc. Set sauce aside.
Tomato Sauce
Combine all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan, bring them to a boil, and then turn the heat down to low and allow the sauce to simmer for about 20 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, you can move on to boiling the pasta.
Lasagna Noodles and Assembly
Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions, and also add the olive oil and salt (as desired although I recommend 2 tablespoons) to the cooking water.
When the noodles are done cooking, drain them, and then shock them in an ice bath to stop the cooking and prevent them from sticking. Allow them to remain in the ice bath for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the cold water and place them on a large baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 375F and spray a 2.5-quart casserole dish or baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
To each lasagna noodle, spread a thin layer of bechemel sauce down the center.
Add a couple small spoonfuls of bolognese sauce down the middle of center of each noodle and then lightly spread it around.
Evenly sprinkle all 12 noodles with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the grated or shredded Parmesan.
Roll each noodle up and stand it on it's end in the casserole dish. Notes - If you can't fit them all in one casserole dish, it's fine to use a second casserole dish. Additionally, if you find that you only have enough bechemel and/or bolognese for less than 12 pinwheels, then make what you have enough for, which is based on how full you fill them.
Carefully pour the tomato sauce over the base of the casserole dish, taking care to aim for the base of the dish rather than a rain shower over the top of the noodles. Spread the noodles out so they're not touching.
If you have extra bolognese sauce, you can add it to the tomato sauce already in the base of the casserole dish, and gently stir it around.
Place a few fresh mozzarella pearls, ciliegine, or a large fresh mozzarella ball that you dice or cube small, on top of each pinwheel and then scatter the rest around the casserole dish.
Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan over the top. (See Notes for Make Ahead Directions, stopping here)
Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is as lightly golden browned as desired. Tips: Place your casserole dish on a baking sheet so that if it overflows a little like mine did, it goes onto the baking sheet and not your oven floor. It shouldn't happen, but if the lasagna noodles look at all like they're burning or drying out, cover the casserole dish with foil and continue baking until the cheese melts.
Allow the lasagna pinwheels to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Extra pinwheels will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

*For making or prepping in advance, make the 3 sauces as written, get the lasagna noodles rolled up and in the casserole dish, and add the tomato sauce. At this point stop, cover very tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking it off.
When you do pull it from the refrigerator to bake, allow your casserole dish to sit on the counter at room temp for at least 30 minutes so you don’t have to keep it in the oven longer due to starting with very cold food.
Add the fresh and shredded mozzarella before baking and bake as directed.
**Using Store Bought or Premade Sauces:
For the bechamel, there are lots of jarred bechamel sauces out there and if you want to give one a try or you have a favorite, go for it. Also, you can check for a jarred alfredo sauce as the two are very similar.
As it pertains to the bolognese sauce, this is the one sauce I would make from scratch despite there being plenty of ready-made bolognese sauce. It’s going to be hard to duplicate the mouthfeel, taste, texture, and comfort-food factor of a pound of ground Italian sausage or ground beef and for this reason, I suggest making your own.
The tomato sauce is just doctored up with some basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. You’re going to need to simmer a store bought tomato sauce anyway to warm it and thicken it a bit, so I’d go ahead and just add those couple of extra ingredients. Tip: You do you! If buying store bought sauces for all 3 is going to help you actually make this meal, and do so much more stress-free and in far less time, then buy all 3 sauces!

Nutrition Information

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Serving 2 Calories 486kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 39g (13%) Protein 26g (52%) Fat 23g (35%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Polyunsaturated Fat 10g Cholesterol 60mg (20%) Sodium 2200mg (92%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 11g (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 486 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	2
Calories	486kcal	24%
Carbohydrates	39g	13%
Protein	26g	52%
Fat	23g	35%
Saturated Fat	10g	50%
Polyunsaturated Fat	10g	59%
Cholesterol	60mg	20%
Sodium	2200mg	92%
Fiber	4g	16%
Sugar	11g	22%