All rolled up

In our home there are just two people for most meals. Which is fine but I came from a family where there were six warm bodies with appetites to feed 8-10 people. As a result when i first got married we had leftovers every meal, not a bad thing when you are working a lot, but heavens sometimes individual portions are valuable without the microwavable plastic freezer meal. In response to to my hubby's love of lasagna I tried to create actual lasagna in portion sizes without stacking containers of the rest of the casserole. Thus, the roly poly was born. The big bonus is you can make these fast and in whatever portion size you want. My husband loves these cause he can easily eat and portion them out for however hungry he might be. So here goes:
Makes 4 well filled rolls.
1 jar pasta sauce or leftover marinara from any dish
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 T fresh chopped herbs ie basil, thyme, or parsley. Or 1t dried
salt and pepper to taste
4 lasagna noodles
1/2 lb ground beef browned- in all honesty if you have leftover beef or sausage simple shred or chop it into 1/2 inch dice for a yummy change of pace.
For the health conscious cooked summer squash, spinach, or onion, can be added to the meat or ricotta mixture, follow what your family likes.

Bring large pot of water to boil add 1 t salt then add noodles and make sure they are submerged to cook through according to package directions. While the noodles cook, mix ricotta, egg, herbs, and salt and pepper until well blended. Add meat and chopped veggies if using to ricotta mixture and set aside. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Taste the marinara sauce to make sure its the flavor you like if not doctor with a can of tomatoes, some balsamic vinegar, or herbs and garlic. Take one noodle at a time and lay flat on an appropriate work surface( one that can get messy.) Spread ricotta mixture across the entire noodle, then roll up from a short side. Place in greased loaf pan. Repeat procedure with remaining noodles. Spoon a generous amount of marinara over all the rolls and heat in 350 oven for 25 min until warmed through.
This recipe is especially accommodating to picky eaters as the filling can be individualized, simply mark different types of roly polys with cheese or a toothpick to ensure they get the right one. Thankfully, this recipe doubles beautifully and can be frozen, just cover with plastic then tin foil, label, and freeze prior to baking- it will take about an hour to cook if taken directly from the freezer. Making this a great dish for busy nights.
Smile and Savor
Ms Brownie
forgive the lack of posting this week it has been slightly crazy.