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 and cottage cheese lasagna!
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
- Instant Pot white chicken 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.
SO GOOD! One of my favorite recipes from you, so far!
I followed recipe, but had to โcasseroleโ it due to me buying the wrong lasagna noodles (they were โready to bakeโ, I couldnโt cook them before hand so I couldnโt do the rolls). I also just had non-seasoned canned artichoke hearts, so I added oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary to taste to the finished filling.
Thank you for another awesome recipe!
Hi Olena,
My family and I love your healthy desserts. Thank you for your awesome recipes and inventions. I would like to know if you can substitute artichoke with something else. Thank you
Hmmm I canโt think of a good substitute. Maybe zucchini but has to be seasoned a bit and precooked.
Excellent taste and much lighter and healthier than traditional lasagna. It does take time to prepare, but well worth it.
Glad you liked the recipe Patty!
Love this, a huge hit in our home!
Delicious chicken roll ups!
This is definitely my favorite recipe, I can eat this all day and all night, literally if i had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would definitely be this! thank you so much!
Interesting. Glad you are enjoying.:)
Olena,
I made these, and with a bit of trepidation. I knew I would love them but the husband and kids…? I wasn’t sure. I had a hard time rolling them so I made a lasagne with just two layers of noodles and watched my portion size. Also I found artichokes in the canned vegetable section that were in water a while ago for another recipe so I used those. My husband loved my twins (who are 14) loved, my oldest son is a almost 18 and picky he didnt like the artichoke. It was so delicious.
These look delicious. I am thinking about making these for a freezer meal swap. Would I freeze after baking or before? And do you know how long I would cook after thawing? Thanks!!
Freeze before baking. Usually cooking time increases by 20 minutes or so but depending on the oven, if you cook from frozen. If you use oven safe dish or an aluminum tray it should be OK to cook from frozen.