High Protein Creamy Tomato Lasagna Roll Ups

We’re packing over 40g of protein into each serving of this lasagna & it’s such a crowd pleaser! If you have family or friends visiting for holidays or vacations, whip up one or two of these. Included in the notes are suggestions for storage, swaps, and prepping this as one lasagna dish instead of rollups.

High Protein Creamy Tomato Lasagna Roll-Ups Ingredient Notes

Lasagna Noodles: These wide, sturdy noodles provide the perfect base for rolling up the savory filling and holding everything together. Once cooked al dente, they remain tender without falling apart, making them ideal for layering or rolling. Coating them lightly with oil helps prevent sticking during prep. Their neutral flavor allows the seasoned filling and sauce to shine.

Ground Beef: Lean ground beef adds a hearty, protein-rich element to these roll-ups, delivering both flavor and satiety. It’s seasoned with classic Italian spices and cooked until browned, forming the savory backbone of the filling. Its crumbly texture blends well with the creamy cheese mixture. This ingredient helps push the protein content over 40g per serving.

Cottage Cheese: Blended cottage cheese creates a creamy, protein-dense sauce that mimics the texture of ricotta while boosting nutrition. It melts beautifully when baked, adding richness without being heavy. Half is blended with tomato sauce for the topping, while the other half gets mixed into the filling. Its mild flavor allows the herbs and beef to take center stage.

Tomato Sauce: Smooth, simple tomato sauce brings acidity and sweetness to balance the richness of the beef and cheese. Blending it with cottage cheese makes the dish ultra creamy while keeping it lighter than traditional lasagna sauces. It bubbles and browns beautifully in the oven, creating a craveable finish. This layer ties everything together with bold, comforting flavor.

High Protein Creamy Tomato Lasagna Roll-Ups

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

4.6 from 57 votes

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

We’re packing over 40g of protein into each serving of this lasagna & it’s such a crowd pleaser! If you have family or friends visiting for holidays or vacations, whip up one or two of these. Included in the notes are suggestions for storage, swaps, and prepping this as one lasagna dish instead of rollups!

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• 9 ounces gluten-free lasagna noodles (12 lasagna sheets)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 pound ground beef (90% lean)

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus additional to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

• 16 ounces 4% cottage cheese

• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

• Prepare the lasagna noodles according to package instructions to cook al dente (be careful when handling since they can break easily). Drain and add back to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil while hot to prevent sticking.
• While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned all over, breaking up into small crumbles as it cooks, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with the basil, garlic powder, oregano, salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Continue cooking until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes, then set aside to cool down.
• Preheat the oven to 400F. Add the cottage cheese and tomato sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth, about 60 seconds. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Transfer half of the cottage cheese mixture to a separate bowl and set aside.
• Add the cooked and cooled ground beef (leave any oil from the skillet out) to mixing bowl with the remaining half of cottage cheese along with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Mix to combine.
• One or two at a time, place a lasagna sheet flat on a 9×13 baking dish and add about 3 tablespoons of the beef and cottage cheese mixture to the end of it. Carefully roll up tightly (see video for example) and push to the end of the baking dish. Continue this until you have 12 roll ups (two rows of 6).
• Top with the reserved cottage cheese and sauce mixture and spread it out so all of the roll ups are covered in the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly on top. Place in the oven and bake for 7 minutes to melt the cheese, then turn to high broil until bubbling and brown on top, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cool for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving. . Reheat using the microwave until warmed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Notes

• Storage: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. 
• Reheating: From refrigerator, microwave until warm, about 2 minutes or heat in a saucepan over medium heat until warm, about 10 minutes. From frozen, thaw in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, then heat as instructed. 
• Ground beef: Feel free to swap the ground beef with ground turkey, ground chicken, or even plant-based crumbles to make it your own! Check out my high-protein pesto lasagna roll-ups recipe for another version that uses shredded chicken breast.
• Lasagna option: You can also make this as a lasagna with no roll-ups! Just layer your cooked lasagna noodles flat with the beef and cottage cheese mixture in-between each layer, then pour the remaining sauce on top on the end and top with cheese. Bake for the same amount of time.

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