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French Onion Lasagna Rolls


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  • Author: Molly
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

Description

These French Onion Lasagna Rolls are something special. All the flavors of French onion soup – sweet caramelized onions, savory beef broth, loads of nutty gruyere cheese – all wrapped up in lasagna form. This dish takes a little bit of time and effort (just like anything with caramelized onions does), but it is so, so worth it. This pasta dish is comforting enough for a cozy family meal and feels fancy enough to enjoy as part of a special holiday feast. Two of my favorite dishes in one, and the match is truly spectacular.


Ingredients

Scale

For the French Onions:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large sweet onions, diced
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry, vermouth, or white wine
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

For the Filling:

  • 1/2 of the French onions
  • 1 (15-oz) container ricotta cheese
  • 4 oz grated gruyere cheese
  • 2 oz grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, stemmed and finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 large egg

For the Sauce:

  • 1/2 of the French onions
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 4 oz grated gruyere cheese
  • 2 oz grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For Assembly:

  • 810 lasagna noodles, cooked very al dente
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

RECIPE NOTE:

This is a recipe with quite a few steps – although none of them are difficult, I understand how recipes like this can be daunting. This is how I break down the process. 

  • I start with the onions because they take the longest. While the onions are cooking down, I prep the lasagna noodles by bringing a pot of water to a boil and cooking the noodles until very al dente (2-3 minutes shy of what the package recommends). Drain and set aside until you are ready to assemble. I recommend spreading them out in an even layer on a lightly greased baking sheet so they do not stick together.
  • In the time that the onions are cooking, you can have the noodles ready and the ricotta filling mostly done. The sauce is the last component to be prepped before assembling the lasagna rolls.

For the French Onions:

  1. In a large oven-proof skillet or casserole dish, heat the oil over medium heat on the stove.
  2. Add the onions and salt and cook over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
  3. Reduce the heat to low, add in the thyme sprigs, and cook low and slow for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. Once the onions are beginning to caramelize, add in the brown sugar and dry sherry. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sherry is cooked off. Add in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until the beef broth has mostly evaporated. The onions should be caramelized and sweet. Discard the thyme sprigs. 
  5. Remove half the onions from the pan and set aside for the filling. Leave the remaining onions in the pan to use as the base for the sauce.

For the Filling:

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the onions with the ricotta, gruyere, and parmesan cheeses. Stir in the onion powder, garlic salt, dried herbs, and chopped thyme.
  2. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary BEFORE stirring in the egg. Mix the egg in until well incorporated.

For the Sauce:

  1. Return the pan with the remaining half of the onions to medium heat.
  2. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes to remove any raw flour flavor.
  3. Slowly stream in the milk, while whisking constantly. Whisk until the milk begins to thicken.
  4. Once the milk has thickened and begins to simmer around the edges, stir in the cheeses. Mix well until the cheeses are melted and the sauce is creamy.
  5. Remove from the heat and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To Assemble:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Spread roughly 3-4 tablespoons of the ricotta filling on each lasagna noodle and then carefully roll the noodle up lengthwise to form a roll. Place the roll, seam side down, in the cream sauce. Repeat until all the rolls have been formed.
  3. Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
  4. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and golden brown.
  5. Allow the lasagna rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving. 
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Category: pasta