Vegetarian Lasagna Roll-Ups (with Cottage Cheese)
Vegetarian Lasagna Roll-Ups is a satisfying and delicious twist on classic lasagana. Each noodle is filled with a flavorful, protein-rich blend of cottage cheese, Parmesan, and pesto, then baked in marinara sauce under a blanket of melted mozzarella. It’s an impressive dish that’s a breeze to make!
These cottage cheese lasagna roll-ups offer all the beloved flavors and textures of traditional layered lasagna – tender pasta, rich marinara, and melted cheese – but in a fun, individual roll-up form. The cottage cheese in the filling provides a creamy, protein-packed dish without the need for ground beef, making it a fantastic vegetarian main. Enjoy these roll-ups as a satisfying comfort food on their own or as a delightful side to grilled meats, roasted vegetables, or a light side salad.
What are lasagna roll-ups with cottage cheese?
This veggie lasagna roll-ups recipe is a creative, high-protein twist on traditional lasagna!
Instead of layering sheets of pasta, you spread a savory filling of cottage cheese, Parmesan, pesto, and herbs onto individual cooked noodles, then roll them up. These lasagna rolls are nestled in a baking dish, sandwiched between a bottom and top layer of marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella, and baked until bubbly.
While I’d love to take credit for this irresistible dish, the recipe was created by my dear friend, Gina Homolka from the Skinnytaste High Protein cookbook. Her book is packed with simple, flavor-packed recipes that each deliver at least 30 grams of protein, making it perfect for creating satisfying and nutritious meals. It even includes plenty of options for various dietary needs, which is why this lasagna roll-up recipe using cottage cheese is such a fantastic, protein-packed alternative to the traditional version.
Ingredients needed to make lasagna roll-ups with cottage cheese
- Lasagna noodles: You can use wheat or gluten-free lasagna noodles depending on your dietary preferences. Keep in mind that these lasagna noodles need to be boiled unlike no-boil lasagna sheets (also known as oven-ready lasagna noodles) which are specifically designed to cook directly in the oven without the need for pre-boiling.
- Cottage cheese filling: Combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, fresh chopped parsley, prepared pesto, egg, and seasoning (salt and pepper).
- Marinara sauce: Feel free to use homemade marinara sauce or your favorite store-bought brand. Roasted red pepper sauce would be a delicious alternative.
- Mozzarella cheese: I’ve used shredded mozzarella (part-skim or whole mozzarella cheese) to sprinkle over the assembled lasagna roll-ups and marinara sauce as a final cheesy topping.
- Garnish: Sprinkle chopped fresh basil or parsley (just a few sprinkles, not too heavy) once you’ve removed the casserole from the oven and are about to serve it.
How do you make cottage cheese lasagna roll-ups?
Boil the noodles:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the noodles until al dente (remove 1-2 minutes from the package directions). Drain the pasta.
- Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out the lasagna noodles so they don’t stick together.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, Parmesan, parsley, pesto, egg, 1/4 tsp of kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Mix well.
Assemble, bake, and serve:
- Ladle 1 cup of marinara on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Make sure the noodles are dry, then take 1/3 cup of the cheese filling and spread evenly over the length of the noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat this for all the noodles, placing one right against the next one.
- Ladle the remaining marinara over the noodles and top each noodle with 1 Tbsp of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil, being careful not to touch the cheese, and bake for about 40 minutes until heated through and the cheese melts.
- Garnish with a light sprinkle of fresh chopped basil and serve hot.
Serving
This lasagna roll-ups with cottage cheese recipe is the perfect and complete meal if you’re looking for a hearty vegetarian dish. When keeping these lasagna roll-ups as the main aspect of your meal, consider pairing it with a basic house salad, garlic bread, or buttermilk rolls.
Of course, you could also serve these cottage cheese lasagna roll-ups as just one component of a main meal, pairing it with Lemon Basil Chicken Kebabs, Butternut Squash Soup with Chicken, or Lamb Meatballs with Kale.
Treat yourself afterwards to a slice of No Bake Cherry Cheesecake, a scoop of this decadent Chocolate Ice Cream, or Coffee Affogato With Vanilla Ice Cream.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover cottage cheese lasagna roll-ups in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings of your leftover lasagna roll-ups in the microwave just until warmed through.
- Make-ahead: To make this dish ahead, assemble the lasagna roll-ups with cottage cheese as directed in the recipe instructions and cover the entire baking dish with foil. Freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, allow the frozen vegetarian lasagna roll-ups to thaw overnight in the fridge. Remove the outer layer of foil (keeping the top foil covering) and bake. You will need to add an extra 10-15 minutes to the cooking time to account for the chilled temperature of the lasagna roll-ups.
- Bake from frozen: If you don’t want to wait for your frozen unbaked cottage cheese lasagna roll-ups to first thaw in the fridge, add it straight to the oven and add an extra 30-40 minutes to the baking time.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free lasagna noodles to cater to allergies.
- Ricotta mixture: You could experiment with an equal amount of ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese for the filling.
- Seasonings: This recipe only calls for salt and pepper. Feel free to mix in some Italian seasoning for extra Italian-style herbiness.
- Use freshly shredded cheese: Avoid pre-shredded cheese as this is often coated in anti-caking agents for a longer shelf-life. This prevents the cheese from melting as well as freshly grated cheese and also dulls the flavor.
- Boil until al dente: The noodles will continue to cook in the oven which is why you must only boil them until al dente. To do so, shave off about 1-2 minutes from the recommended boiling time on the packaged directions.
More lasagna dinners you may want to try:
- White Sauce Pesto Lasagna
- Zucchini Eggplant Lasagna
- Skillet Mexican Lasagna Recipe
- Turkey Lasagna Soup
- Mushroom Burrata Lasagna
Get the Recipe:
Vegetarian Lasagna Roll-Ups (with Cottage Cheese)
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 8 lasagna noodles, wheat or gluten-free
- 16 ounces 2% cottage cheese, drained
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 Tbsp prepared pesto
- 1 large egg
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cups marinara, plus more for serving
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook noodles according to package directions, about 1 minute less (al dente). Drain the pasta.
- Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out the lasagna noodles so they don’t stick together.
- In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, Parmesan, parsley, pesto, egg, 1/4 tsp of kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Ladle about 1 cup of marinara on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Make sure the noodles are dry, then take 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture and spread evenly over the length of the noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles, placing one right against the next one.
- Ladle the remaining marinara over the noodles and top each one with 1 Tbsp mozzarella cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil, being careful not to touch the cheese, and transfer to the oven.
- Bake until heated through and the cheese melts, about 40 minutes.
- Serve hot, garnished with fresh chopped basil.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
