Lasagna Rolls with Prosciutto

So first off, I have changed the name of my blog. This is going to sound crazy, but there were times when I had trouble remembering what I had chosen to call it!  This is simpler and honestly fits me!  So from here on out, this is An Absent Minded Cook!  I love to bake and cook, but I make a lot of mistakes cause sometimes I just forget to pay close enough attention!  The recipe I am sharing today is another example of forgetting something, but fortunately I am also lucky in that it still turned out very good!

I think I have mentioned before that I love anything with lots of cheese, either on top, inside or both.  This fits the bill.  I use 4 different cheeses for this and the prosciutto that really adds good flavor.  It wasn't hard, just gotta make sure you add all the ingredients!  I actually combined 2 recipes for this but if I make it again, would slightly change it again.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First off I got my water boiling for my noodles.

Next I get a basic roux recipe started.  Not sure where the fancy name comes from, it could also be called a bechamel sauce, another fancy name for a basic white gravy.  It's butter, flour and then milk.  A little salt and pepper with nutmeg gives it some flavor.

You will want to watch this until it has thickened up and then keep on very low, stirring occasionally until you are ready to use it.
Next you will start working on the filling.

This is your ricotta cheese, cream cheese, egg, mozzarella cheese and some more seasonings.  At this point, hopefully your noodles are done and you are ready to start assembling.  This time around, I got some clean towels out and laid out all my lasagna noodles.

I'm sure all of you has made at least one type of recipe that involves filling or stuffing individual shells, noodles or even tortilla's.  You start filling, being skimpy so you have enough, then you think you will have plenty and go heavy on the filling, only to run out at the end!  So frustrating!  Laying out all of the noodles at once took a lot of space on my small counter, but in the long run, so worth it!  I could ensure that every noodle had filling and they were all pretty much even!
So for this version, you take the prosciutto and lay the thin pieces on each noodle.  In the future I think I will just cut it up and add it to the cheese mixture.

Those thin slices weren't that easy to work with!  Next you spread the cheese mixture on top.  Make sure to leave an edge at one of the ends.

Once again, it was so nice to do it this way!  Once you have used all of the filling, you are ready to start rolling.  Before you start though, spread about 1/2 of your white roux mixture in the bottom of the pan.  I love the extra sauce for these types of recipes so I also spread some marinara down as well.

Time to start rolling, starting with end of the noodle that has the filling.  Hopefully that makes sense!  You want to leave the end without filling at the other end so the filling has a place to go as it kinda gets smooshed out as you roll.  Place those seam side down in the pan.  Continue until done.  This recipe made 16 rolls for me, so I did have to divide it between 2 pans.  Divide sauce accordingly.

Once I had all of them rolled, I first spread the remaining roux on top.

Once again, I like these dishes saucy!  Next, take your marinara and cover the rolls.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake.  When everything is bubbly, remove and sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.  Return to oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Let it sit and set up a bit before serving.

So if you like manicotti, but get frustrated filling those shells that don't like to stay together, give this one a try!

Lasagna Rolls with Prosciutto
Adapted from Amanda's Cookin'

Ingredients

Sauce:
4 Tbls butter
2 1/2  Tbls flour
2 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
4 cups marinara sauce
16 uncooked lasagna noodles
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cube (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbls parsley
2 Tbls basil
16 slices of prosciutto

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For roux sauce melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat.  Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes.  Whisk in the milk.  Increase the heat to medium.  Whisk until sauce begins to simmer and is thick and smooth.  Whisk in salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until ready to use.
2.Get a large pot of water boiling for noodles, add a couple teaspoons of salt before adding noodles.  Cook according to package directions.
3. Mix the ricotta, cream cheese, 1 cup parmesan cheese, 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper and herbs.  (Can add prosciutto, chopped up here).  Set aside.
4. When noodles are done, drain, rinse and lay out on clean, dry towels.  Pour about 1/2 of the roux into the bottom of your baking pan(s).  I used a 9x13 and 1 qt rectangle baking dish.  Pour about 1 1/2 cups of marinara on top of that.
5. To assemble: Place 1 slice of prosciutto on each noodle.  Spread about 1/3 cup cheese mixture onto bottom 3/4 of each noodle, leaving the top uncovered.  Starting with the end with cheese, roll into the noodle, arrange seam side down in the baking dish.  Top evenly with remaining roux and marinara, covering each noodle completely.
6. Cover with aluminim foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the sauce bubbles.  Remove and sprinkle with remaining cheese and broil until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned (don't replace foil).  Let it cool and set up for about 10 minutes before serving.

Note: This can be prepared through step 5, covered with foil and then refrigerated.  Plan on baking for around an hour or until center is heated through.  Can also be frozen.  Pull out of freezer the morning before baking to keep bake time at around an hour.