Lasagna Roll Ups with Short Ribs

Lasagna Roll Ups with Short Ribs are a fun twist on traditional lasagna and it’s easy to prepare. Slow cooked beef ribs create a tender filling rolled up in pasta and covered with a creamy cheese sauce.

For some reason, I am on a béchamel kick.  Maybe it’s because everyone loves anything made with béchamel.  Think mini croque monsieurs, my favorite lasagne, Kentucky hot browns, or macaroni and cheese. All favorites on the blog and with my family. To those favorites I can now add this recipe for lasagna roll ups with short ribs.

What is a lasagna roll up?

Lasagna roll ups are just what they sound like, all the flavors of lasagna but instead of layered in a casserole dish, you spread the filling on a lasagna noodle and roll it up. A traditional lasagna roll recipe is going to have all the same ingredients as lasagna just in a different format.

However, this recipe for lasagna rolls is even better because of slowly cooked short ribs and a béchamel sauce. It is not smothered in tomato sauce.

The short ribs are cooked for a few hours in the oven simmering with tomatoes and red wine. This results in the most tender, melt in your mouth short ribs that shine in this dish.

There are tomatoes in the sauce that the ribs cook in but this is just spooned over the finished dish. Instead of tomato sauce like in a traditional lasagna recipe, the roll ups are smothered in a creamy béchamel sauce.

This is a fun dish to make and one that can be made in advance. I guarantee it will impress your friends and family. The flavors from the slow cooked short ribs create an amazing filling.

You will need to give yourself some time though because the short ribs have to cook for a couple of hours, but it’s not like you have to watch them. Just brown them and put them in the oven and come back in 2 ½ hours.  

The meat will fall off the bone and be so tender. I started these after breakfast one Saturday and assembled them. All I had to do was pop them in the oven before our friends came over for dinner. You could definitely prep these the day before.

This is a great dish to make for friends. It looks impressive and tastes fantastic.

Why you’ll love it

• If you like lasagna, you’re going to love this recipe.
• Beef short ribs cooked in the oven are divine.
• This recipe is easy to prep ahead of time.
• The tomato sauce is present but not overwhelming.

What you’ll need

• Beef short ribs – short ribs are cut from the brisket or chuck portion of the cow and consist of a short piece of the rib. The bones add so much flavor.
• Yellow onion – lots of flavor added with onions
• Whole peeled tomatoes – these are cooked with the ribs, wine and beef broth.
• Red wine – use a red wine that you like to drink, it will enhance the flavors of the beef. You can add beef broth instead.
• Grainy mustard – otherwise sold as coarse ground mustard
• Lasagna noodles – you need standard lasagna noodles
• Fontina cheese – this is a semi-soft cheese that’s a good melting cheese.
• Pantry staples – garlic, beef broth, butter, flour, milk, nutmeg

How do you make lasagna roll ups with short ribs

Step 1 – Short Ribs

Preheat oven to 325º. Salt and pepper ribs on all sides.

Step 2

Coat the bottom of a large dutch oven and brown the ribs on all sides. Remove from pan.

Step 3

To the same Dutch oven, add onions and garlic and cook. Add tomatoes, wine and mustard and bring to a boil. Add the ribs back to the pan and cover with beef broth. Cover and place in the oven for 2 and ½ hours.

Step 4

Remove the ribs from the sauce and shred them with a fork removing any fat. Add some of the the sauce to the bowl of the shredded short ribs. Reserve the remaining sauce to serve with the finished dish.

Step 5 – Béchamel

Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour, whisk until incorporated. Add milk to the flour mixture, whisking until it comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Remove and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Step 6

Cook the pasta until pliable but not cooked completely. Let cool slightly so that you can handle it.

Step 7

To assemble, place a layer of the béchamel sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Work with one lasagna noodle at a time. Place some of the shredded ribs down the length of the pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Set each upright on top of the sauce in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with cheese and the rest of the béchamel sauce. Cover with aluminum foil.

Step 8

Bake at 375º for 40 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with the reserved tomato sauce.

Pro tip: While beef ribs can have a lot of fat on them, after they have cooked, you can skim the fat off the broth they cooked in and remove any when you shred the beef.  

Recipe Notes

• Choose your favorite cabernet or other red wine to add to the sauce and then enjoy the rest with dinner.
• When cooking the pasta, cook a few more than you need as some might break while cooking and it’s hard to make a roll with only ½ a noodle. Remove the pasta while it is still a little firm and rinse with cold water to keep them from sticking together.
• Remove the toothpicks before serving.
• You can freeze this after baking, just let it cool and cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Reheat in the oven. You can also freeze this before you bake it, just let it come to room temperature before baking.
• To reheat leftovers, you can warm in the microwave or heat covered in the oven at 350º for 10-15 minutes.

FAQs and tips

What to serve with lasagna roll ups

More recipes to enjoy featuring short ribs

• Short Rib Chili
• Simple Sunday Sauce Recipe
• Braised Short Ribs