Courtney Roulston has kicked off the Cooking With Coles' World of Flavour series with a creative take on a classic Italian dish. Her lasagne rotolo recipe replaces traditional layered lasagne with rolled pasta sheets filled with rich bolognese, zucchini ribbons, and plenty of cheese, offering a family-friendly dinner that is both fun and impressive.
Recipe Overview
This dish serves eight people and requires 40 minutes of preparation time, plus cooling time, and 1 hour 25 minutes of cooking. The ingredients include Coles pasta lasagne sheets, olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, Coles Australian Pork & Beef Bolognese Mince, diced tomatoes, Cucina Matese Tomato & Basil Passata, zucchini, parmesan, tasty cheddar, basil, and cherry bocconcini.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, cook the lasagne sheets in boiling water for five minutes until just tender, then transfer to cold water. In a large pan, heat olive oil and cook onion, carrot, and celery for five minutes until the onion softens. Add the mince and cook for another five minutes, breaking up lumps, until the meat changes colour.
Next, add diced tomatoes, half the passata, and one cup of water. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly. Season and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Reserve a quarter cup of passata and pour the remaining passata over the base of a shallow ovenproof dish.
Assembling the Rotolo
Reserve a quarter cup each of parmesan and cheddar. Remove a lasagne sheet, cut it in half lengthways, and top each piece with two zucchini ribbons. Spread with two tablespoons of the mince mixture, then sprinkle with remaining parmesan, cheddar, and shredded basil. Roll gently from one short end to enclose the filling, and place cut-side up in the dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes until heated through. Remove foil, combine reserved passata with one tablespoon of water, and drizzle over the top. Sprinkle with reserved parmesan, cheddar, and bocconcini. Bake for another 10 minutes until light golden. Let cool for five minutes, then top with basil leaves and serve with salad.
