Pepperoni & Four Cheese Lasagna Rolls

DISCLAIMER: Upon making this recipe, you hold neither Sublime Hodge Podge nor its creator Jill Moore responsible for any harm done by excessively gained weight, high carb overload, exponentially jiggly thighs, burst waistbands or broken bathroom scales. 

Hi.  I like lasagna.  I like Guy Fieri also.  And waaaay back when Guy was just a another contestant on Food Network's Next Big Star thingy, he made an ultra gooey, over indulgent pepperoni lasagna.  I remember sitting there going "omg, that's just genius."  I like pepperoni too.  (forgot to mention that)  The only thing I hate about making lasagna is that I *always* have leftovers for nearly 3 days.  I don't know about you, but I'm kinda funky monkey on the eating leftover thing for days on end.  I need a break in there somewhere for my poor taste buds.  So, taking Guy's pepperoni and riffing on it a bit, I love lasagna rolls.  Not only are they smaller portioned, but they are typically lighter than my usual lasagna, meaning not as much ricotta or sauce is used.  They're cute too, all rolled up and mini looking.  

I've seen several lasagna roll up recipes that have you place the rolls on their sides so the ruffley ends are standing up.  I don't get that myself.  I just imagine my cheese mixture getting all hot and gooey and sliding out of the bottom and either sticking or mixing in with the sauce at the bottom, leaving me with a dry roll.  Neither of these are appealing to me, so I do mine laying flat.  Everything stays in place, no leakage and when you cut into it, you can see the layers so it actually looks like a mini-lasagna piece.  (see pic)  It was SUPER hard for me to nail this recipe down to share since I usually just spice everything and taste test till its right but this time, I paid attention and wrote it all down for you. 

This recipe is just awesome.  GI Joe (hubby) walked through the door and went "That smells SO good!  Ever since you told me about it this morning, it is all I thought about today at work."  He's a bit obsessive about food, can you tell?  It really is one of the most comforting dishes I make, in my opinion and when I want something homey and fulfilling, this is my go to.  And the sauce?  Oh....the lovely, intoxicating sauce!  I use this sauce on everything.  The longer it simmers, the better it gets.  I usually toss it in the crockpot and let it go overnight on low.  Or you can do it on the stove but I highly recommend cooking it several hours to get that "slaved over it all day" feel to it.  If you haven't tried making your own homemade sauce, this is the recipe to try, hands down.  It is absolutely FAIL PROOF. 

See the pepperoni peeking out?

Pepperoni & Four Cheese Lasagna Rolls

For Sauce:

1 pound Ground Beef
1 roll of Italian sausage
2 (29 ounce) cans of Tomato Sauce
¼ cup Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
4 tsp Garlic Powder

¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Italian Seasoning
½ tsp Parsley Flakes

½ tsp Onion Powder

Brown ground beef & Italian sausage, drain well and set aside.  (for these lasagna rolls, I toss my meat in the food processor and make it super small, for a thinner sauce.  For regular lasagna, spaghetti or shells, I keep it chunky.  Your call.)

Combine remaining ingredients and the drained meat in a large sauce pan and heat to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least at hour or you may transfer the sauce to a crock pot and keep on low.  The longer it simmers, the better it is.

For Rolls:

1 package of pepperonis

1 egg

15 ounces (approx) of ricotta cheese

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

2-3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Provolone slices

1/2 tsp EACH of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, pepper

Package of lasagna rolls - prepared and slightly cooled

Prepared and slightly cooled sauce recipe above (or your own)

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Spread a good layer of sauce to coat the bottom.  Set aside.

Mix ricotta with egg, parmesan and the spices.  Set aside.  Take a lasagna strip and lay it flat, dabbing off with a paper towel.  (You want it dry for cheese to stick.)  Using the back of a spoon, slather on a layer of the ricotta mix.  Sprinkle with a bit of mozzarella shreds.  Top with 4-5 pepperonis.  Slowly roll up the lasagna strip into thirds.  Place in pan, folded side down.  Repeat with the remaining strips until your pan is full.  Top with a generous amount of sauce.  Top with provolone slices, more mozzarella shreds and a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is browned and bubbly.  Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.  

PS: you probably will have leftover sauce like I always do.  It freezes really well for a spaghetti meal sometime later.  Reheat slowly and simmer till warmed thoroughly.