Lasagna Pinwheels
Lasagna has always been one of those dishes that lead me as a kid to believe that most Italian food is various shapes of pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese.
While I have no issues with a classic lasagna, sometimes I just can’t help but feel like the classic is just too…flat, so today I thought I’d take the classic components of lasagna, but roll up the pasta with the cheese filling then serve it with some sauce underneath.
This sort of thing is not new, I’ve seen rolled lasagnas before on Tiktok and other places, but I thought I’d give it a try myself.
(Full disclosure, if you want to skip the fuss and do a classic lasagna instead, then that’s fine by me.)
It will be a surprise to nobody that I’ll be doing this with fresh pasta, however, this can easily be done with dry lasagna sheets that you simply boil and then roll, but today’s pasta will be different because…drum roll…I finally got 00 flour!
For anyone unaware, 00 bread flour is a high-protein flour that, in Italy, is used for making pizza, pasta, bread, and all sorts of delicious things that need an extra bite to it.
There’s nothing wrong with making pasta with all-purpose flour, but with the 00 flour, you get a slightly chewier result. I have made pasta dough with both 00 and AP flour and did notice the difference.
Anyway, let’s cook! I’ll be basing this off of the woven lasagna recipe I did in a previous article, which I’ll provide the link to, but with a few differences.
Lasagna Pinwheels
Serves 4
Time: 2 hours
For the pasta dough:
400g (14 oz) of 00 flour or All purpose flour
4 eggs
For the filling and sauce:
2 1/2 cups of whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons of minced fresh rosemary leaves
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
Tomato sauce (store-bought or homemade, your call), heated
Torn fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for topping
(If you’re using dried pasta, then skip the first and third steps)
Step 1: Make the pasta dough.
Dump the flour onto a clean work surface, then make a large well in the center. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil to the well, then use a fork to beat the eggs and slowly incorporate the flour.
Once some of the flour has been incorporated and the mixture becomes too thick to whisk with a fork, use a bench scraper to fold and press the remaining flour onto the egg mixture until a shaggy dough forms.
With floured hands, knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it relax for at least 20 minutes.
Step 2: Make the filling
In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the filling plus the provolone, eggs, and pepper to taste.
Set aside.
(Tip: it helps if you strain your ricotta in a few layers of cheese cloth for about half an hour as that gets rid of excess water.)
Step 3: Roll the pasta dough
Cut the dough into 4 pieces, then, working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough a bit with your fingers. Lightly dust with flour.
Using a pasta roller or pasta roller attachment for your stand mixer on the widest setting, Roll the dough out before folding it into thirds, turning it 90 degrees, and rolling again until the dough looks smoother.
Using the knob on your roller, turn the machine down to the second-widest setting, then roll through again. Repeat until your dough becomes a long, thin sheet that is almost transparent.
Trim the ends of the dough with a knife, then repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
(Hey, don’t throw away those scraps from your pasta. You can cook them, toss them with your favorite pasta sauce, and have that as a little snack)
Step 4: Cook the pasta
If you’re using fresh pasta, then bring a pot of salted water to simmer, then drop each of your pasta sheets in and cook until the pasta floats to the top of the water.
If using dried pasta, then bring that water to a boil and cook according to the directions on the package for al dente.
Remove from the water, then dry with clean kitchen towels or paper towels. Let the pasta cool completely.
Step 5: Fill the pasta
Lay a pasta sheet in front of you then spread a thin, even layer of the ricotta mixture on top, leaving 1/2-1 inch of space at the top.
Lift up the bit of dough facing you, then roll as tight as you can. Some of the filling may leak out of the sides of the pasta, you can just clean that up. Transfer the rolls to a plate, seam-side down.
Repeat with the remaining pasta and filling, then cover the pasta rolls and chill for at least an hour, but overnight would be better.
Step 6: Slice and bake the pinwheels
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Trim the edges off of each pasta roll, then slice each roll into 4 pieces. Lay each piece cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush each pinwheel with olive oil, top with a grating of parmesan, then bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the top is bubbly.
Spoon some hot tomato sauce onto plates, then top with 4 pinwheels, some basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with classic lasagna at all, but just imagine the surprised on your family’s faces when they see these stunning pinwheels.
