Wonton Lasagna

What do you do when you love the taste of fresh pasta but don’t have the time to make it? Well, many have resorted to using prepared wonton skins to make things like ravioli, so why would you not be able to use large eggroll sheets to make lasagna? Had it ever been done before? I’m not sure, but I was willing to give it a try…

The result was an absolutely delicious and tender lasagna with both a creamy and meaty interior between the fresh  eggroll sheets…and yes, they worked beautifully.  Just make sure to find a pan where you can slightly overlap the wrappers so that you can keep the different layers fairly well defined. The beauty of making a lasagna is that you can use just about any filling you like. In this recipe, I made the more traditional meat lasagna that everyone is familiar with, but nowadays you can make delicious vegetarian versions that include the more commonly seen spinach and ricotta, or one layered with roasted squash and a creamy bechamel. The options are truly endless…

I love lasagna because it’s one of the easiest and most versatile meals that can be prepared well ahead of time. You can put it together and freeze it unbaked until you are ready to bake and serve it, or you can bake it and pre-portion it into individual containers that can then be frozen. These great heat and serve options alongside a quick salad will provide you and your family with a delicious home cooked meal when your busy work schedule may not always allow for too much kitchen time. On days like that, this perfect little meal will rescue you each and every time.

Wonton Lasagna
1 packet of large eggroll wrappers 7” squares
1 recipe bolognese sauce
1- 16 oz container of whole milk ricotta
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated parmesan or pecorina
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely diced (or 2 tablespoons dried)
6-8 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella

Depending on how big a pack of eggroll wrappers you buy, you may have some wrappers leftover. I usually thaw out the package and then count out how many wrappers I need for a batch of lasagna then re-wrap and re-freeze them. It is easier to do this and you will only use what you need. First, experiment with the recipe and see how many layers you prefer your lasagna to be. I usually make 3 layers of dough and 2 layers of filling, so I pre-portion 12 layers of dough in each of my packets. You may want yours to be a little higher, but you may have to adapt the recipe a bit to do that or use a smaller pan.

I use a 12“square pan (or pyrex dish) for this recipe. First begin by following the directions to prepare the bolognese sauce, and set it aside to cool before putting everything together.

Next, place the ricotta, eggs, pepper, ground parmesan and parsley into a medium sized bowl and mix everything gently together and set aside.

Use a good quality pan spray and grease the entire inside of the baking dish. Take some of the tomato sauce from the Bolognese (no meat if possible) and put this on the bottom of the baking dish. This will help to prevent the eggroll sheet from sticking to the bottom of the baking dish.

Begin by placing a layer of dough sheets on the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping them.

Gently spoon the bolognese sauce (do not pour) over the layer of dough sheets, then spoon on dollops of the ricotta mixture all over the sauce and then top with 1-2 cups of mozzarella. I like to pull out most of the meat and use that in the center of the lasagna, and I try to save about 1-2 cups of sauce (with little or no meat for the top of the lasagana—so keep this in mind as you begin the layering process. Just repeat this for every layer and when you get to the top make sure to end with a full layer of dough. Spoon over the reserved tomato sauce and then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

At this point, if you don’t plan to bake the lasagna, simply cover the entire dish with plastic wrap and freeze. If you are ready to bake, place the dish in a preheated 350°F oven for 30-40 minutes until everything has melted and is a lovely golden brown. Allow to slightly cool before cutting into it.