Lasagne lamb roll-ups

Lasagne is wide and flat, is possibly one of the original pastas and is traditionally credited to the city of Naples. Available fresh in sheets, it also comes dried in short and long lengths, straight or curly, wide or extra wide. The word ‘lasagne’ also refers to a dish made with several layers of lasagne sheets alternated with sauces and assorted ingredients. And this I love because, although time-consuming to concoct, it’s a wonderful prepare-ahead dish for the freezer. The roll-ups should fit neatly into the baking dish so they support each other.

Ingredients

700 g	Lamb mince (Main)
4 tsp	Olive oil
2 cloves	Garlic, crushed
2 tsp	Dried basil
2 tsp	Dried oregano
12	Lasagne sheets, long lengths, dried, curly-edged, and wide (Main)
250 g	Spinach, frozen spinach that's thawed
1 cup	Buffalo mozzarella, grated
2 cups	Pasta sauce, tomato

Directions

1. Stir-fry the lamb in 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large frying pan, until coloured, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, basil and oregano. Season.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large frying pan of water to the boil. Add the remaining oil. Cook the lasagne in batches, until tender. Drain, then rinse in cold water. Drain well.
3. Squeeze the spinach to remove excess moisture. Combine with the cheese, minced lamb and a¼ cup of the pasta sauce.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly oil an 18cm-20cm round baking dish or similar.
5. Spread about½ a cup of the meat mixture along each length of lasagne. Roll up and stand in a circle in the baking dish, ends towards the centre to prevent unrolling. Pour the remaining pasta sauce over the top. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes.

See more of Jan's pasta recipes

• Bolognese conchiglioni
• Roasted capsicum linguine
• Smoked fish and bacon trivelle