Shrimp lasagna rolls

Behold: my Lasagna With a Past.  I've been making this since waaaaaay back in early 2007, i.e. the year before the Jeff Administration, and I used it to impress dates.  One in particular drove nearly six hours after work to see me (including an unavoidable brush with Friday night Chicagoland traffic).  How could I not have something fabulous waiting for him?  It also gave me something to do while I stayed up watching late night TV. 

Obviously it didn't work out for us, but make no mistake, this is still a quality dish, one that I am now more than happy to make for my beloved husband...who did not know about this lasagna's past until 1.5 seconds ago (he's a freakishly fast reader).  This morning we had the following conversation:

Me: Do you want anything special for supper tonight?

Jeff: Yes.

That's all the encouragement I needed to dust off this chestnut.  And since he gave it a pretty good compliment ("I'll have fun with this over the weekend"), I've decided that the lasagna, like me, belongs to him now. 

A word about how revolutionary lasagna rolls are compared to regular lasagna: NO SLOP FACTOR.  You know how when you cut that first piece out of a traditional lasagna and it's a sloppy disaster, noodles slipping around all over the place, and sauce from neighboring pieces flooding into the gap where it used to be?  No more.  What you see in the photo above is the first piece. 

Imagine it: CUTE LASAGNA EVERYTIME.

This is a Giada de Laurentiis recipe from Everyday Pasta, the one where she's on the cover putting some "freshly ground black pepper" "all over the top," to quote two things she says in virtually every show she does.  Note: The recipe will take at least 90 minutes start to finish, and if you're like me, it will dirty at least eight pots, pans, and bowls. 

(Above: lasagna with two Christmas ornaments I bought today--one strange African bird and one adorably judgemental chubby bird.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb lasagna noodles
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined (raw)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (15 oz) containers whole-milk ricotta <-- Part-skim is fine, but whole milk is more luxurious and decadent, so you be the judge of what's appropriate for your situation.
  
• 1/2 C 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
  
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
  

DIRECTIONS

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.

Comments

[Anna]

What a FABULOUS idea for a main dish on Christmas Eve!!! Traditionally we don't eat meat on this day and what a great alternative to an already yummy traditional Italian dish. I never thought of using fish as a filling for a lasagna.

I can't wait to try this recipe!

Watercolurs and food.....you are amazing!!!! (And Jeff is one hell of a lucky man to boot!)

[Anna]

PS: I'll let you know how many bowls I use... :)

[Faye]

I love this lasagna recipe and heard so much about shrimp lasagna rolls.