Caprese Lasagna Roll-Ups

Last night I saw Arcade Fire in concert for the first time. It was the last night of their world tour in the band’s hometown of Montréal. It was a pretty phenomenal show and really showcased what fantastic voices Win Butler and Régine Chassagne have.

Here is the set list and a photo (from a July concert) both courtesy of the Arcade Fire website.

One thing for sure about an Arcade Fire concert…hipsters are present in abundance. Plus, the band encourages fancy dress and costumes, so the people watching (and there was about 25,000 of them there) was most entertaining.

I’m back in my hotel room, kicking back after a lovely day of seeing some of the sights in Montréal, all ready to share a recent favorite recipe.

Caprese Lasagna Roll-Ups make perfect use of the sweet tomatoes that are at the height of flavor this time of summer. A classic ricotta cheese filling is layered with tomato slices and fresh basil, rolled up, and baked under a simple marinara and a cloak of melted mozzarella. It’s a fresh tasting meal that really highlights the tomato, basil and mozzarella.

You’ll notice (or not) that I made my roll-ups in a 13 x 9 inch pan so that I could have more to feed my large clan. If you choose to make 12 rolls, you will have enough sauce. Just increase the other ingredients to 12 lasagna noodles, 20 oz mozzarella, 1 cup ricotta, 2 egg whites and 1/2 cup Parmesan. You’ll need another tomato, depending on the size and about 1/3 cup basil.

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

Ingredients:

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
14 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (try to use fresh if you can for the ultimate caprese experience)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg white
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
3 – 4 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1 cup Simple Marinara Sauce (recipe follows) or your favorite

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.

2. Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente. Drain pasta and align lasagna noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.

3. For filling, in a large mixing bowl whisk together ricotta cheese and egg white until blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Mix in 12 oz of the mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste.

4. Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other. Align thin tomato slices over cheese mixture then sprinkle basil over top. Snugly roll up the lasagna noodles.

5. Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Place lasagna roll-ups seam side down in dish. Top each roll-up with about 2 Tbs of the marinara sauce (covering edges of pasta so they don’t dry out while baking). Sprinkle top with remaining 2 oz shredded mozzarella.

6. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, plate pasta and garnish with plenty of basil.

Serves 8

Recipe from Cooking Classy

Simple Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté about 3 minutes until soft, adding garlic during last minute of cooking.

2. Pour in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes so that sauce thickens slightly.

Makes about 3 cups

One of the highlights of the Arcade Fire concert was the segue from the song ‘The Suburbs’ to ‘Ready To Start’ (just like on the album). Man, there are about 15 musicians on the stage with seemingly enough energy to power a small country. So exciting to watch.

This cover in no way lives up to the original, but ain’t no way I am posting the original….the internet police will arrest me in a microsecond.

Now Tears For Fears rendition of ‘Ready To Start’ might not be the best, but I had it bad for these guys back in the early 80s. Their 1983 album “The Hurting” remains one of my favorite records of all time. ‘Pale Shelter’ still gives me chills. You could tell these chaps were going to be big.