Giada De Laurentiis's Lasagna Rolls

I saw Giada make this recipe on Everyday Italian a few years back and thought it looked good. So, I went to foodtv.com and printed up the recipe and made it. We loved it! I just wanted to give credit where credit is due, I tried to put a link to the recipe, but it no longer is on the food network website. So, here it is.

INGREDIENTS
Béchamel Sauce:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 ¼ c. whole milk
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 (15 oz.) container whole milk ricotta cheese (I use skim all the time, the whole milk ricotta is hard to find)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten
¾ tsp. salt, plus more for salting water
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marina sauce (I use Giada’s homemade marinara sauce, which I’ll include in the recipe below, and I use more than 2 cups because I like more marinara in it)
1 c. shredded mozzarella (about 4 oz.)

INSTRUCTIONS
To make béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg into the béchamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 pan and pour the béchamel sauce all over the bottom.

Whisk (or stir, I just stir with a wooden spoon) the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but sill firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking. Spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Start at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna roll seam side down, without touching the other rolls, atop the béchamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marina sauce (I use more) over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.


Giada De Laurentiis’s Homemade Marina Sauce

½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 (32 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot (or any large pot, I don’t have a casserole pot), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and salt and pepper. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leafs. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using. Can also be frozen.)