Ready for a fun and fabulous twist on regular lasagna? I thought so, which is where this Italian-inspired pinwheel lasagna recipe come into your meal plan! This pinwheel lasagna is similar in concept to my Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups but instead of using chicken, there’s a juicy homemade bolognese sauce made with sweet Italian sausage and a rich and cheesy from scratch bechemel sauce which is what’s in the center of each pinwheel along with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. After the pinwheels have been rolled up and in the casserole dish, tomato sauce as well as fresh mozzarella cheese pearls and more shredded mozzarella is added before baking these off to melty, golden cheese perfection.
This recipe is a bit more time consuming that most of my quick and easy 30-minute meals because you’re making three scratch sauces — bechamel, bolognese, and tomato — however I give my thoughts below on how to work store bought, ready-made sauces into this lasagna recipe to save you time and energy. However you choose to make lasagna pinwheels, one thing is for sure. Your family and friends are going to love this comfort food recipe. It’s impossible to resist warm pasta with sausage, tomato sauce, and gooey cheese! Put this lasagna pinwheels recipe on your weekend cooking list and make it for a special family dinner or get-together. Tip: This is a long post with lots of careful explanation, details, tips, and tricks. If you simply want the recipe, scroll down until you see the recipe card section of the post.
Ingredients in Lasagna Pinwheels
Pinwheel lasagna has lots of ingredients, there is no denying it. However, that’s because there are three sauces, noodles, and oodles of cheese. All of the ingredients are easy to find and common fridge and pantry staples. What you’ll need for the various sauces and components of pinwheel lasagna is as follows: For the Bechamel Sauce:
Unsalted butter All-purpose flour Yellow onion Whole milk Thyme Salt Pepper Nutmeg, optional Ricotta cheese Parmesan cheese Mozzarella cheese
For the Bolognese Sauce:
Italian sausage Olive oil Yellow onion Celery Carrot Garlic Tomato paste Dry white wine or chicken broth Italian seasoning Granulated sugar Salt Pepper Fennel seed Crushed tomatoes Whole milk
For the Tomato Sauce:
Canned tomato sauce Fresh basil Olive oil Garlic Salt Pepper
For the Lasagna Noodles:
Lasagna nooldes Olive oil Salt
For the Cheese Layer:
Fresh mozzarella pearls Shredded mozzarella cheese Shredded Parmesan cheese
Tip: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for a more complete ingredients list, including ingredients amounts and directions.
How to Make Bechamel Sauce for Lasagna
In order to make homemade lasagna, you’ll want to make the sauces first so they’re ready to go when you need them. Begin by making this béchamel, or white cheese sauce, by following these simple steps: Tip: Do not shortcut the step of making your roux because later on your sauce will never thicken properly if you don’t do this now.
How to Make Meat Sauce for Lasagna
Make homemade bolognese sauce by doing the following:
Can I Use Ground Beef in the Meat Sauce?
For my bolognese sauce in the pinwheel lasagna, I used ground sweet Italian sausage. However, you can use hot or spicy Italian sausage. And you can also use lean ground beef. Your choice!
How to Make Tomato Sauce for Lasagna
To make the tomato sauce which bathes the pinwheel lasagna while it bakes, simply combine all ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Easy peasy!
Store-Bought Shortcuts to Use in This Recipe
You may be wondering is it really worth it to make your own sauces for pinwheel lasagna, or is there a way to shortcut things and use store-bought? In general, I am a convenience-product loving cook. If I can doctor up a store-bought product and get it to taste nearly as good (and sometimes better than) homemade, I will go for it. My thoughts on store bought vs. homemade are as follows on the various sauces: Tip: You do you! If buying store bought sauces for all 3 is going to help you actually make this meal, and do so much more stress-free and in far less time, then buy all 3 sauces!
How to Assemble and Bake Lasagna Pinwheels
Now that you’ve got your sauces made (or bought) it’s time to move on to assembling the meat lasagna roll ups and then baking it off. Follow my straightforward steps:
What Kind Of Lasagna Noodles are Best?
Please use traditional lasagna noodles that you need to boil in water. I do not recommend making this recipe for roll up lasagna using “oven ready” or “no boil” noodles. They tend to have an odd texture and don’t hold up as well during the baking process which is why I don’t suggest them. Stick with good ‘ole fashioned lasagna noodles. I’ve never worked with gluten-free lasagna noodles so can’t say one way or the other how they would fare for this homemade lasagna pinwheels recipe.
What to Serve with Lasagna Pinwheels
Garlic bread or French bread, steamed or roasted vegetables, or a side salad are all good sides for lasagna. Here are a few side dishes that you could pair with the homemade pinwheel lasagna:
Stuffed Cheese Bread Rolls One-Hour Soft Buttery Breadsticks Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts Apple Spinach Salad Parmesan Balsamic Broccoli
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make and assemble pinwheel lasagna ahead of time. My suggestions are to make the sauces as written, get the lasagna noodles rolled up and in the casserole dish, and add the tomato sauce. At this point stop, cover very tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking it off. When you do pull it from the refrigerator to bake, allow your casserole dish to sit on the counter at room temp for at least 30 minutes so you don’t have to keep it in the oven longer due to starting with very cold food. Add the fresh and shredded mozzarella before baking and bake as directed.
Storage Suggestions for Lasagna Pinwheels
In general pasta recipes keep quite well and lasagna pinwheels are no exception. Leftover pinwheel lasagna will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips for the Best Meat Lasagna Pinwheels
When you’re making the various sauces including the bechamel and bolognese, I recommend using whole milk. Cream isn’t necessary and actually could create sauces that are too thick. You could possibly use 2% but I don’t recommend anything with less fat such as skim milk. There is little point in using a plant-based milk since there is so much cheese in this recipe anyway, for which you really can’t use vegan cheeses.
I like to use a dry white wine like chardonnay, pinot grigio, or sauvignon blanc in my bechamel or alfredo sauces. However, if you don’t want to use wine you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead. Lasagna in general is known to be a cheesy paradise and I suggest using the highest quality cheeses you can find in both the bechamel and in the final layer of cheeses. That means no green cans of Parmesan! If you can’t find fresh mini mozzarella pearls or balls, sometimes called ciliegine, you can use a larger ball of fresh mozzarella that you simply cube or dice. You technically could probably just use extra shredded mozzarella. However, fresh mozzarella has a different flavor and texture which I really love in Italian recipes which is why I incorporated it.
In the bechamel I used a fresh thyme sprig and in the tomato sauce I used fresh basil. However, in a pinch, you can use about 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme and dried basil if that’s all you have. After you’ve rolled up the lasagna noodles and they’re in the casserole dish and you add the tomato sauce, add it so hits the noodles at the base where they meet the casserole dish rather than dumping it on top of them like a rain shower. And then spread them out so they aren’t touching and there is tomato sauce between all your pinwheel lasagna rollups. If you have extra bolognese, feel free to also add that to the tomato sauce that’s already in the casserole dish. Keep an eye on the lasagna pinwheels as they bake to make sure the cheese has melted but that nothing is looking too crisp or dried out. Now is not the time you want to overcook your little pinwheel masterpieces! If for some reason that were to happen, cover with a sheet of foil and bake just until the cheese has melted before resting and then serving your rolled up lasagna. Place your casserole dish on a baking sheet so that if it overflows a little like mine did, it goes onto the baking sheet and not your oven floor.
More Easy Lasagna Recipes:
Homemade Italian Sausage Lasagna — Made with Italian sausage, ground beef, three kinds of cheeses, and plenty of herbs and spices for the BEST homemade lasagna that your friends and family will LOVE! Easier than you think to make and everything is spelled out in detail for lasagna-at-home that tastes like it’s from a fancy Italian restaurant! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups — Chicken and bacon combined with spinach and herbs, rolled up in lasagna noodles, and smothered in a homemade three-cheese alfredo sauce! This is the ultimate CREAMY CHEESY COMFORT food recipe that everyone ADORES! Can be prepped in advance and baked off later.
Cheesy Ravioli Lasagna — This EASY lasagna comes together with just four simple ingredients, making it perfect for busy weeknights!! The whole family will LOVE this cheesy comfort food lasagna recipe!
Easy 30-Minute Skillet Lasagna — Everything cooks in one skillet and you don’t even need to boil the noodles separately!! Full of classic lasagna flavor but so much faster and easier! Now you can make lasagna on busy weeknights!!
Easy Lasagna Soup— This easy, 30-minute lasagna soup gives you all the rich flavor of your favorite lasagna minus the work. Hearty and comforting, but not as heavy as lasagna!
Healthier 20-Minute Skillet Lasagna — A fast, EASY, healthier way to enjoy lasagna — in skillet form!! Warm pasta and beef topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan is IRRESISTIBLE!!
