Let’s talk recipe collections! 
My mom has an entire cupboard full of old recipes. No one really uses them anymore, but there is just something so intriguing about opening up that cupboard and pulling out generations of recipes. It’s amazing to see how the history of cooking has evolved through the handwriting of my grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and some of their closest friends!
How do you store your recipes? When I first got into cooking, I printed out any recipe I wanted to try and saved all the winners. Pretty soon, I had quite the pile-up, so I did what any person (with a type -A personality) would do! I used a 2-inch binder with dividers to organize all of my favorite recipes by: Appetizers, Sides, Breakfast, Vegetarian (there was a time when my #meatlessmonday game was strong!), Poultry, Beef, Soups, and Sweets. 
The fun part about the binder is seeing how much my cooking ability, tastes, and dietary preferences have changed over the years. I have added some recipes to that binder over the years, but for the most part, I don’t print out recipes anymore (primarily because we don’t have a printer…minimalist problems.) So it is really fun to flip through the binder and see what recipes would immediately qualify as “Paleo” (before I even knew what that was!), those that could easily be altered to meet my dietary needs, and then those that should just be left as-is to maintain their full integrity (4-layer Twix Brownies, I’m lookin’ at you!)
Whenever I am having a hard time brainstorming my weekly meal plan, I like to flip through my good ol’ big blue binder until inspiration strikes
Last week, I came across these Stuffed Shells from Iowa Girl Eats (from 2012!) with a little note stating “Trav’s Favorite, ” Well that was all I needed to make it my mission to recreate an old favorite, making the dish gluten-free!
It isn’t easy to get Travis excited about food, but this used to be a dish he would constantly request and always go back for seconds. I recall making those stuffed shells multiple times for him in the “early years” because…well, I was trying to make him fall in love with me for goodness sakes! (I think it worked 😉 )
Travis went on a weekend camping/fishing trip in the wilderness with his dad and brothers. I decided his “last meal” should be extra special…ya know, so he would remember me fondly. I had to laugh when he came into the kitchen, saw this recipe on the counter and said, “I’m coming back, you know.” He was on to me!
Since I haven’t seen large gluten-free shells in the stores, (do they exist?) I used gluten-free lasagna noodles as an easy swap. I was worried they wouldn’t hold up as I tried to roll up the seasoned meat, but all went smoothly and the result was just as delicious as the shells from many moons ago 🙂 The whole assembly process was easy, and the result was absolutely amazing! I think I actually prefer these over full on lasagna because they are a little lighter, healthier, and more weeknight meal friendly. If I were to change one thing about the recipe, it would be that I would have double it! We both wished there were more leftovers for lunch the next day 😉
Ingredients:
(makes 9-10 roll-ups)
- 1 box gluten-free lasagna noodles (I used this brand of brown rice noodles)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated and divided in half
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 16 oz marinara sauce
- 1/3 cup reserved pasta water
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions:
- Boil a large pot of water for the noodles. Cook noodles for about 5-8 minutes. I had to cook mine in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the noodles and ensure even cooking. As they finish cooking, carefully lay each noodle onto a flat surface so they are easy to work with.
- Cook the ground beef until no longer pink, stirring in seasonings as it browns. Add reserved pasta water, parmesan cheese, 1 egg, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the bottom of a 8×8 baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Take 1 noodle at a time and add 1 large spoonful of the meat onto the middle of the noodle. Carefully roll the noodle and place seam side down into the dish.
4. Repeat with each noodle until the pan is full! Add marinara sauce to the top of each roll-up and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Add the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.
5. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 2 minutes for some extra golden and bubbly cheese. 
I served our Lasagna Roll-Ups with an artichoke and it was just delightful!
Look at the gooey cheesy pile of deliciousness! Now that I know we can be successful with a gluten free version, there is no way we will go another 5 years before eating this delectable meal again!
A long-time favorite made gluten-free. These lasagna roll-ups are light, delicious, and easy to make!
- 1 box gluten-free lasagna noodles
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 16 oz marinara sauce
- 1/3 cup reserved pasta water
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
-
Boil a large pot of water for the noodles. Cook noodles for about 5-8 minutes. I had to cook mine in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding and ensure even cooking. As they finish cooking, carefully lay each noodle on a flat surface so they are easy to work with.
-
Cook the ground beef until no longer pink, stirring in seasonings as it browns. Add reserved pasta water, parmesan cheese, 1 egg, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
-
Cover the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish with a thin layer of marinara sauce. Take 1 noodle at a time and add 1 large spoonful of the meat onto the middle of the noodle. Carefully roll the noodle and place seam side down into the dish.
-
Repeat with each noodle until the pan is full! Add marinara sauce to the top of each roll-up and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Add the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella. (If making ahead of time, you could cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at this point.)
-
Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 2 minutes for some extra golden and bubbly cheese.
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