Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-ups

I subscribe to the Taste of Home magazine, and eagerly look through the pages of each issue for the hide-and-seek item. Each issue has a specific item (it used to be a toothpick, now they vary from issue to issue) that is hidden somewhere on one of the pages. A fun game I like to play is that I decide to prepare a recipe from the page on which I find the item. I was a bit unlucky at one point, because for two issues in a row the hidden item was on the page where they feature a remodeled kitchen. How am I supposed to cook that?

But with this issue I hit the jackpot. Sorry if this is a spoiler for anyone, but I found the little taco on a page that included two delicious-looking recipes. One is a Feta Asparagus Frittata, but I chose not to make that since I rarely buy asparagus and never buy feta. The Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-Ups, however, looked fantastic, so I decided to make them. And make them I did!


The recipe is downsized to feed only three people, but we had more lasagna noodles than that, so I doubled it, thinking I would want to eat two roll-ups. Well, we'll have leftovers, because one was so large and filling it was totally enough.

Here's the recipe the way I prepared it:

Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-Ups
6 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 tsp. chives
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
48 slices pepperoni
1 oz. Swiss cheese, in 6 pieces
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, in 12 pieces (the recipe originally called for all Swiss. We didn't have enough, and besides, using all Swiss would have given the roll-ups a VERY strong Swiss flavor, disagreeable to some)
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce (I didn't double the spaghetti sauce, though I doubled everything else - it would have been too much sauce)
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Combine ricotta cheese, chives, oregano, and basil; spread 1/4 cup over each noodle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with pepperoni and cheese (1 slice Swiss, 2 slices mozzarella per noodle); carefully roll up.


Place seam side down in a greased shallow baking dish; top with spaghetti sauce. Cover (I forgot to cover mine; they turned out great, but the edges would be softer if the pan were covered) and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Uncover; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.


Serving size: 1 roll-up, though hearty appetites might be able to squeeze in two.