Lasagna Sandwiches

Yes, you read that right. Lasagna sandwiches. Lasagna in sandwich form. All of the delicious components of lasagna (aside from the pasta itself), between two halves of a roll. These sandwiches, my friends, are ground-breaking. And, as you would suspect, they taste amazing.

In addition to being delicious, they’re also pretty easy. You could make the sandwiches the night before you want to serve them, wrap them in foil, then just pop them in the oven to heat through a half hour before dinner time. They're perfect for weeknight cooking in that regard. We obviously had sandwiches left over, which I took for lunches for the rest of the week, but I bet they'd freeze pretty well too.

I added even more flavor to the sandwiches by turning the rolls into garlic bread. I hollowed them out, coated them with a mixture of butter and seasonings, and broiled them until crispy before assembling the sandwiches. I definitely recommend using a thicker, heartier roll for these – something more substantial than a hoagie roll. I used bolillo rolls, which I thought worked perfectly. You could even make a long sandwich with a loaf of sweet Italian bread, then cut it into slices for serving.

But come on, these are LASAGNA SANDWICHES. They’re going to be delicious no matter how you serve them.

Try them. I promise you’ll love them.

Lasagna Sandwiches
adapted from 5 Dollar Dinners

6 sub rolls or bolillo rolls
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 to 1 cup jarred marinara
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Slice off the tops of the sub rolls. Then scoop out the bread from the inside. Stir together butter, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Spread each side of each sliced roll with butter mixture. Broil until browned and crispy.

3. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. About halfway through cooking, add onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When beef is cooked through, add garlic and cook and stir 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and as much marinara sauce as you need to moisten the mixture (don’t make it too wet).

4. Spoon some of the ground beef mixture into each roll.

5. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon over the meat mixture in each roll.

6. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese over top of each roll. Top with the bread top. Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

One year ago: Chocolate zucchini cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting