These Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups are made with lighter sauce, artichoke hearts and spinach filling, then wrapped in your choice of lasagna noodles. Topped with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked until gooey perfection.
We also love these zucchini roll ups!
Table of Contents
What Are Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups?
I’m not going to pretend it’s your next 30 minute dinner idea, but chicken lasagna roll ups are quite easy. That’s why if 12 roll ups is too much, just freeze the leftovers and save time. Plus, most lasagna pasta comes in a package of 12.
Lasagna roll ups turn a layered dinner into individual servings with just as much flavor. The filling is rolled into each pasta sheet, then topped with sauce and bubbly cheese. They’re fun, bake faster, and easier to serve!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious: The mix of pasta, cheese, and meat add layers of flavor everyone will love.
- Extra veggies: I gave this healthy lasagna a vegetable boost with the addition of spinach and artichokes.
- Versatile: Pasta recipes are known for their versatility. These lasagna roll-ups are not only cozy and delicious, but incredibly easy to make your own. From the noodle, sauce, meat, and veggies, the options are endless!
- Can be made ahead: With back to school in full swing, you can never have too many quick and easy meals. These chicken lasagna rolls are a freezer-friendly, healthy dinner you can count on.
My family already loves my Instant Pot lasagna, so I’m not surprised they love this too.
And if you would like to skip pasta but enjoy the taste of lasagna, try my zucchini lasagna!
Ingredients for Chicken Lasagna Rolls
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need to make these fun chicken lasagna roll ups.
- Lasagna noodles: You can choose from regular, whole wheat or brown rice pasta.
- Chicken: I often use Instant Pot shredded chicken breast. You can also use pan fried chicken breast or slow cooked chicken breast, or store bought rotisserie chicken can really save time but I would add less salt to the sauce for that option.
- Artichoke hearts: I used canned artichokes in water. If they are packed in oil be sure to drain well. Frozen artichokes work too, but thaw first.
- Spinach: I recommend fresh baby spinach. You can use frozen spinach, allow it to thaw and squeeze all the excess liquid.
- Aromatics: Onion and freshly minced garlic help make the sauce rich and flavorful.
- Flour: Added to thicken the sauce. Regular, whole wheat or gluten-free flour can be used.
- Milk: Use your milk of choice, regular or plant based.
- Tomato sauce: I used plain tomato sauce from a can. You can also add marinara sauce or another pasta sauce you like.
- Mozzarella cheese: I love mozzarella cheese for this dish, but cheddar cheese works well too.
- Spices: Salt and pepper.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil like avocado oil or olive oil to sauté aromatics.
How to Make Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups
This chicken lasagna roll ups recipe has a few steps to it, but I promise it’s easy! Here’s a quick overview complete with pictures.
There is a full recipe card below.
- Cook lasagna noodles: Follow package instructions and cook lasagna noodles al dente. Drain, carefully lay noodles flat on parchment paper, and cover with a towel. Set aside.
- Make sauce base: Heat a large skillet and coat with oil. Sauté garlic and onion on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, then add flour and stir to combine.
- Finish the sauce: Add milk, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir, bring to a light boil then simmer on low until sauce has thickened.
- Add chicken and artichokes: Add artichokes and shredded chicken to the sauce and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes uncovered.
- Stir in spinach: Turn off heat, add spinach, and stir to combine.
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 F. Use a spatula to evenly spread 1 cup of tomato sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish. Set aside.
- Add filling mixture to lasagna noodles: Scoop 1/3 cup of chicken artichoke mixture onto one end of each pasta sheet, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling.
- Roll: Starting with the filled end, carefully roll each chicken lasagna roll. Place the roll, seam-side down, tightly in the prepared baking dish. I had 2 rows of 6 rolls each.
- Add toppings: Pour remaining tomato sauce and cheese on top, distributing evenly among all rolls.
- Bake: Leave the dish uncovered and bake for 30 minutes. Then let them rest covered for 10 minutes, serve hot and enjoy!
Tips for Best Results
Here are some pro tips for the best chicken lasagna rolls.
- Don’t overcook lasagna noodles: Boil lasagna sheets until al dente, even slightly undercooked is OK. They will continue to cook in the oven and you don’t want them mushy!
- Be cautious with salt: From sauce, to cheese, to chicken, to artichokes, everything has sodium. Taste test the sauce first and then add salt, especially if you use rotisserie chicken.
- About rolling the noodles: Roll them not too lose so roll-ups fall apart but not too tight so you squeeze out the filling.
- Don’t skip resting: It’s always good to let Italian recipes rest for a few minutes, the sauce will thicken and the noodles will soak up more sauce. For this recipe, resting also allows your roll ups to firm up a bit.
- If you have filling leftovers: You can spread leftover filling on the bottom of the dish around the roll-ups, or cook spaghetti, mix with the filling, and enjoy another delicious meal!
- Using raw chicken: My original recipe called for diced raw chicken. I updated the recipe and shortened the cooking time so you can use pre-cooked chicken or leftover chicken. You can use fresh chicken and cook the sauce for 20 minutes if you’d like.
- Using alfredo sauce: Make chicken alfredo lasagna rolls using my healthy alfredo sauce. It may curdle during prolonged baking because it’s made with yogurt, therefore bake roll ups for only 15 minutes. Let them stand covered longer, about 15 minutes as well.
Serving Recommendations
I love serving these lasagna roll-ups with a simple green salad or roasted vegetables and crusty bread.
For salads, we love the classics like healthy Caesar salad, a simple butter lettuce salad, or cucumber and tomato salad. Or add more Italian flair with an Italian chopped salad.
Green veggies make a great side dish for lasagna. Sautéed broccoli with tomatoes, oven roasted asparagus, and garlic green beans are super easy to make. But really, the sky is the limit so serve with your favorite seasonal vegetables.
Can I Make Them Ahead of Time?
Up to 2 days ahead: Prepare as per recipe but don’t bake, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature and bake. You may need to bake it 10-15 minutes longer since it’s cold.
As a freezer meal: Assemble, tightly wrap with one layer of plastic, then a few layers of aluminum foil. You can freeze them for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as per instructions adding 15 minutes.
How to Store
Store: Cooled roll ups can be placed in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Leftover lasagna rollups will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Sure. You can substitute artichokes with 1 cup cooked chicken, cooked cannellini beans, roasted butternut squash cubes, diced tofu or leave as is.
No. Bake lasagna roll ups uncovered but cover after to rest.
Sure. Substitute chicken with cooked cannellini beans, roasted butternut squash cubes, or diced tofu.
Alternatively, chop up some veggies, cook until soft, and add to the mixture along with the spinach. Try broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, red peppers, corn or mushrooms. You could even swap kale for spinach.
I’m not sure, I have never tried. I know that oven ready lasagna noodles are much thinner than regular lasagna sheets so you might have trouble rolling them. I have heard that from other readers.
Need even more dinner ideas? Check out these roundups with healthy chicken recipes and healthy pasta recipes!
More Pasta Recipes to Try
- Healthy chicken alfredo
- Healthy Tuscan chicken pasta
- Healthy baked chicken parmesan
- Kale turkey pasta bake
- Instant Pot lasagna soup
Artichoke Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna noodles regular, whole wheat or brown rice pasta
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
- 2 cups artichoke hearts well drained and chopped
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour regular, whole wheat or gluten-free
- 2 cups any milk regular or plant-based
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups tomato sauce divided
- 1 3/4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded & divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Cook lasagna noodles as per package instructions, drain and lay flat on parchment paper. Cover with a towel to prevent drying out and set aside.
- Preheat large skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add garlic and onion, saute for 3-4 minutes. Add flour and stir until combined. Then add milk, salt and pepper; stir well and bring to a boil. Simmer it on low heat for 1 more minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Add artichoke hearts and chicken and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 2-3 minutes uncovered, while stirring often. You can also add raw cubed chicken and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, add spinach and stir to combine.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce at the bottom of large 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
- Fill each pasta sheet with 1/3 cup of chicken artichoke mixture and top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling. Roll each chicken lasagna roll and place tightly in a baking dish. I ended up with 6 rolls in 2 rows.
- Top with remaining 1 cup of tomato sauce and 1 cup of cheese, distributing evenly among all rolls. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with a simple green salad or roasted vegetables and crusty bread.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Freezer meal: Assemble, tightly wrap with plastic, then few layers of foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as per instructions adding 15 minutes.
These look great but I can’t quite tell if you’re using pre-cooked chicken or if it cooks in the sauce. I’m going to try it tonight with some chicken I already cooked, but I’d like to know how you intended it. Also, I love that you put freezer instructions on recipes because my friend and I like to swap freezer meals sometimes, but I wasn’t sure if you recommend freezing before or after baking. Thanks for the wonderful recipes!!!
Chicken is raw. Usually if cooked meat is required for the recipe, it will say that in the ingredients. You can use already cooked chicken, just reduce sauce simmering time after adding chicken to 10 minutes. Thank you.:)
Can’t wait to try these!!!
This was a fabulous dish!!! Very tasty creamy filling with low calories. Can’t believe how filling only roll up was. . . that is all I could eat.
I can eat 2.5 roll ups at a time.:) You eat so little.:)
I made with whole wheat noodle and added red peppers from my garden for a little kick. Very tasty.
You must live in Florida if you have a garden this time of the year.:) Glad you liked the roll ups.
My family LOVED this dish! Will be making again!
Awesome! Tx for coming back and reporting.:)
Hi Olena! I was excited to try this recipe. I love lasagna, so a healthier alternative sounded great. unfortunately, at the grocery store the checker forgot to put the lasagna noodles in my bag. I did have all the other ingredients though, and spiral noodles at home. I ended up making a pasta sauce over noodles and it turned out very good. I added cayenne pepper because I love a little spice. I’ll probably make it again, and I am going to try the actual lasagna next week so I guess I got two recipes in one :).
Oh gosh… I would be so upset.:( That’s a very good idea to make a filling as a sauce. Ha, I’m gonna make it a recipe. Thanks.:)
Hi Olena! I’m new to your blog, but so glad I found it….100% with you on your outlook about food in general……can’t wait to make these in the near future……those rolls look scrumptious!:)
Hi Lana. Nice to hear I’m not alone.:) There roll ups remind me Russian Ukrainian food a lot – we like to stuff food with food. Enjoy.:)
Made this this past weekend, Olena! Another delicious recipe 🙂 I used almond milk instead of skim milk, since I try to stay away from dairy as much as possible, for health reasons. But I did use the cheese 🙂 I used the WW mexican mix, which tastes great.
Also, I rinsed the marinated artichokes under the water and let them drain in a sieve while I was preparing the rest of the stuff. It became completely oil-free.
There IS whole wheat lasagna. I bought it from Food Emporium here in NYC. It’s from Ronzoni. Maybe you can google it and buy it on line. It’s called Ronzoni Healthy Harvest all Natural (100% whole grain).
Thanks Afi. I’ll Google to see what it looks like and keep my eyes open for it!
I’ve never seen that brand of brown rice pasta, I’m intrigued. Tomorrow I’m definitely going on a “pasta hunt”, if I fail I’ll resort to the good ol’ internet.
BTW, love these lasagna rolls, it looks like something between a Cannelloni and a regular lasagna. Very innovative idea Olena, good job!
Thanks, Mike! I knew we would understand each other as soon as I landed on your blog through Sonia.:) I’m sure you can find similar pasta. Brown rice pasta is not a rare find anymore, thank goodness. I have never seen whole wheat lasagna pasta though.
Looks delicious! Another great way to enjoy Lasagna!
Thank you. Yep.:)