Do-Ahead Lasagna Logs

I bought a cook book with my kids in mind.  It's called the Pillsbury Kids Cook Book (Food Fun For Boys And Girls).  It has tons of cute and yummy recipes for kids and it's written like the kids will be making the recipes!  My youngest son, who's 7, was looking through it the other day flagging recipes he wants to try.  He marked this one, so I made it for him tonight (I'm not ready to let my 7 year old hyper active son work with a large pot of boiling water, LOL).  Anyway, it was a hit with the whole family, and I love that you can freeze them individually and reheat them for a quick and easy meal.  I'm sure your family will love it too - and of course - it's gluten-free!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

DO-AHEAD LASAGNA LOGS

14 uncooked gluten-free lasagna noodles
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 - 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 jar gluten-free tomato pasta sauce

1)  Fill a large saucepan about half full with water.  Heat the water over medium-high heat until boiling.  Add the lasagna noodles (whole, do not break them) and cook until done, about 7-8 minutes.  Drain them right away in a colander.

2)  While the noodles are cooking, mix the following ingredients in a small bowl: egg, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and basil leaves.  Mix well and set aside.

3)  Heat the pasta sauce in a medium saucepan until hot.  Optional:  Brown a pound of ground beef, drain fat, then add to the pasta sauce.

4)  Put the cooked noodles on the counter, being careful not to rip them.  Using a knife, spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture on each noodle, leaving about 1/2 inch at one end.  Start rolling at the other end and finish where you left the space.  Repeat until all of the noodles are filled and rolled.  Lay them seam side down.

5)  If eating right away, microwave the logs individually (or two per person) on a plate about 1 minute until the cheese starts to melt.  Add the hot pasta sauce over the top and serve.

NOTES:

~I used DeBoles Gluten Free Rice Lasagna.

~I used Organicville Tomato Basil pasta sauce.

~The original recipe called for low-fat cottage cheese, but I prefer ricotta.  You can use either.  Using ricotta makes it creamier and not so lumpy, which may be more appealing to kids!

~I cooked my noodles in two batches.  It just seemed like too much for my pot.  If you can fit all of them in one pot without overfilling it, go for it!  Just make sure they have room to move!

~Any left over logs, or if you are making them ahead to eat later or at a later date, just wrap them tightly in saran wrap and either freeze or refrigerate them.  Then just heat them individually in the microwave when you are ready to eat them, cover with sauce and you have a super quick and delicious meal!  You could also put a number of them in a baking dish, cover with the sauce and heat them in the oven until bubbly and heated through.  I would say 350 for 25-30 minutes would do it, but I haven't tried it with this recipe, so just test to make sure they are heated through.  We were in a hurry so we used the microwave for the logs and heated the sauce on the stove top.