I wanted to add something new to our weekly menu, and at the same time, use up a couple things in the fridge and pantry.  I always have spaghetti sauce in the fridge, and it just so happened that this week I had leftover cheese, and pepperoni – pepperoni is one of Anthony’s favorite snacks!  Using leftovers and random things in the fridge is like Chopped in real life – let’s see what we can make with almost nothing! Pepperoni and cheese!  PIZZA!  At least, that is the first thing that came to my mind, but I didn’t have any yeast to make pizza dough, so I looked in the pantry, saw lasagna noodles, and thought pizza lasagna!

A few months ago, I shared a recipe for 3 cheese lasagna rolls, and this inspired me to make the pizza lasagna, pepperoni pizza lasagna rolls!  For starters, they cook much quicker than a traditional lasagna, and Anthony likes individual sized dinners – and let’s be honest, it’s all about him anyways!

Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients:

1 pkg no-boil lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp each; Italian seasoning and salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced (optional)
crockpot spaghetti sauce (click link for recipe)
pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Fill a 9×13 baking dish with the hottest tap water you can get, and soak lasagna noodles for 10 minutes, or until they are soft and rollable.

While noodles are soaking, prepare cheese filling by mixing ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, salt, italian seasoning and black pepper in a medium size bowl until the cheeses are throughly combined.

Heat spaghetti sauce over low heat while noodles are soaking and you prepare the cheese.

Drain lasagna noodles, and lay flat on a clean kitchen towel.  Ladle spaghetti sauce over the bottom of the same 9×13 dish that you soaked your lasagna noodles in and set to the side.

On a large, clean, flat surface, lay softened lasagna noodles down, and add 2 tbsp of cheese mixture.  Spread out across noodle with your fingers or with a spoon.  Repeat with remaining noodles.

Top each lasagna noodle with pepperoni – I was able to fit about 5 or 6 pieces of pepperoni per noodle.

Carefully roll up lasagna noodle, being sure to keep the pepperonis tucked in as you roll (they can be a little oily sometimes, so they might slip around while rolling), and place in the 9×13 dish you coated with spaghetti sauce.

Top lasagna noodles with more spaghetti sauce, and remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve overtop a scoop of spaghetti sauce and freshly grated parmesan cheese and perhaps some red pepper flakes, or with spaghetti sauce on the side for dipping!

Love pizza?  Try these other easy kid-friendly pizza recipes!