On a (shrimp lasagna) Roll

For Christmas this year I received Giada DeLaurentiis's Every Day Pasta cookbook and I think it's already my favorite cookbook. It is filled with delicious sounding recipes and none of them are too difficult or time-consuming. One that caught my eye right away was Shrimp Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara. Doesn't that just sound amazing? I had nearly all the ingredients on hand so I decided to make these rolls for Joe and I on Saturday night.

Sometimes you just know as you're preparing a recipe that it is going to turn out well. You also usually know when it's not, but luckily this one had a good vibe from the start. There are several steps to this but all are easy. And since the recipe is just packed with yumminess like ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella you know it's going to be worth it. These rolls were seriously fantastic! I can't wait to make them again. I served them with the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit copy-cats and it was a fantastic meal.

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara

1 lb lasagna noodles

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 (15 oz) containers whole-milk ricotta (I used part-skim and it was fine)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade (I used a can of Hunt's)

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (I used 2% pre-shredded)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 6-8 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and garlic to the pan and saute until shrimp are cooked, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a bowl with 2 cups ricotta cheese, the Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the nutmeg. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce with remaining 1 cup ricotta and stir to combine.

To make lasagna, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking dish with 1 cup marinara mixture. Lay 4 noodles flat on a dry work surface. Spread about 1/4 cup shrimp mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat twice more to make 12 lasagna rolls.

Drizzle the rolls with the remaining marinara mixture and top with mozzarella. Bake until lasagna rolls are heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 25 minutes.