Winter is such a wonderful time for a pasta comfort dish, a loaf of crusty bread, your favorite salad and drink. I have been making this recipe for years and the family loves it. What better way to end the day than with lasagna.

This rollatini dish is easy and so delicious. Why not bring the family together with a complete meal in one tray? Using pantry sauce, too, makes this meal very accessible for a weeknight quick dinner.

Lasagna Rollatini

12 ounces of lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta

12 ounces ground sweet Italian sausage (You can substitute six ounces of ground beef and then use six ounces of sausage if you would like.)

8 ounces shredded mozzarella

¼ cup grated Parmesan

One 32-ounce jar of RAOS tomato sauce

1 large egg

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

A pinch of chili flakes, optional

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan, to garnish

Olive oil, for cooking the sausage

Boil the lasagna noodles and set aside after drizzling them with a little olive oil.

Pour minimal olive oil in a skillet to cook your sausage. Preheat your skillet over medium high heat. Once your pan is heated, add in the sausage. Once your sausage is cooked through, remove it from the pan and place the sausage on a paper towel to drain.

Remove the excess oil from the pan and add your tomato sauce to heat. Add half of your tomato sauce to a 9 x 13 inch casserole pan. Set the remaining sauce aside. On a baking sheet, set out your lasagna noodles and set aside until ready to roll.

In a large bowl, mix together all of your ricotta filling ingredients. Now you are ready to assemble. Spread about 2 tablespoons of your ricotta mixture over each lasagna noodle. Then divide the cooked ground sausage over all of the lasagna sheets, layering it on top of the ricotta. Roll each of the rollatini pasta and place them into your prepared pan.

Cover with the remaining sauce and cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray or that is non-stick aluminum.

Note: You can store this lasagna bake in the fridge a day in advance.

When ready to bake, set out your lasagna at room temperature while you preheat your oven. Preheat your over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake your casserole for 30 to 45 minutes until bubbling around the edges and cooked through. Cool for 15 minutes and enjoy.

Sarah Schweitzer is dual-certified in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry from the Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (www.escoffier.edu). She is a former line cook for Chef Robert Irvine at “Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine” which was located at the Downtown Allentown Market.

Sarah is currently working as a Sous-Chef and pastry chef at Ateira’s on First. She can be reached at sarah.schweitzer18@gmail.com.