The Best Things To Make With Lasagne Sheets That Aren't Lasagna

You've recently made a scrumptious spinach lasagna, and not long ago you made a one-pan lasagna in a skillet. You've got a few noodles left over but before you leave them in the back of the cupboard to make a mini lasagna, why not use them differently? Even if you just have one sheet or a few broken bits left, you can use a little culinary creativity to make a whole new dish. Granted you'll need some other ingredients too, but you don't have to stray too far from classic lasagna leftovers such as ground beef, parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and tomato sauce.

From lasagna cupcakes to nachos and even bread bowls, there's a lot you can do with dried pasta sheets. Beyond snacks, you can create comfort-food meals and dishes that you've never even dreamed of. There's no reason to wait until you're at the end of the box before discovering the best things to make with lasagna sheets that aren't lasagna. Grab a box and make them all.

Read more: 41 Must Try Hot Sandwich Recipes

Create Lasagna Cups

Forget mini tarts and cupcakes when you can turn pasta sheets into cute, individual lasagna cups. You just need one layer of soft noodles to line the base and sides of a muffin tin. That means that it's way lighter than a classic lasagna, but with the same ingredients so the taste is just as good. Cut circles out of the cooked pasta and pop them into the tin first. Then cut sheets lengthways and use each half strip to wrap around the sides to create the cups.

For the filling, fry ground beef and stir in tomato sauce before spooning it into the pasta cases. Add ricotta cheese mixed with Italian seasoning next, followed by a generous topping of shredded mozzarella. Bake the cups in the oven at 350 F for around 12 minutes. These make great snacks or you can turn them into a full meal by serving garlic bread and Caesar salad on the side.

You can also cut the cooked pasta sheets into three and layer them at angles in the muffin tin to create a cup. Instead of adding ricotta, make a bolognese sauce and cover it with parmesan and mozzarella. If you like layers, then cut the sheets into squares. Add tomato sauce, veggies, and cheese in a muffin tin with a few pasta squares between. Finish with a dollop of tomato sauce and a mozzarella topping on the last square.

Enjoy Savory And Sweet Lasagna Roll-Ups

Cooked lasagna sheets are wonderfully pliable and meant for rolling. Lasagna rollups are fun to make and easy to customize with different fillings. Mix and match creamy spinach and tomato meat sauce rolls, or combine the two flavors. Mix ricotta with Greek yogurt and Italian seasoning, then add spinach and cooked ground beef. Spoon it onto the ends of al dente lasagna noodles and roll. Place them seam-side-down into an ovenproof dish on top of a layer of marinara sauce. Cover the pasta with more sauce and finish with shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Another option is to spread meat sauce and mozzarella across the length of each noodle before rolling it up. That way, the filling is distributed between layers of pasta. For a delicious meat-free recipe, make a cheesy pesto filling with basil pesto, mozzarella, and parmesan on top. Or add a creamy sauce to rollups to make a light side dish. If you've got some leftover sheets after making a four-cheese lasagna, for example, then use these to make lunch. Wrap blended herby tomatoes and a few sprinkles of mozzarella in the still-warm noodles and serve. Meanwhile, for a sweet treat, try a dessert variation by filling the noodles with sweet ricotta and cream cheese and freezing for 30 minutes. Dip the rollups in eggs and heavy cream and coat them in cornflakes. After frying, serve them with strawberry sauce.

Share Crispy Nachos

If you haven't tried a weeknight Mexican lasagna with ground chicken, black beans, and corn, then it's a must for a spicy twist on this Italian dish. Why not go one step further with that fusion and turn lasagna into crispy nachos? This has to be one of the best dishes to make with lasagna sheets aside from lasagna.

Cut al dente noodles into quarters about the size of nacho chips, big enough to scoop up fillings. Coat them with olive oil and parmesan, along with black pepper, granulated garlic, and Italian seasoning. Air-fry them for 10 minutes, making sure they don't overlap in the basket. You might have to sit by the air fryer and cook them in batches, munching a few down as you do. Keep the lasagna theme going with a meat sauce topping, plus ricotta and mozzarella on top. Or, why not pair them with classic nacho accompaniments such as guacamole, salsa, and sour cream?

You can also cut the pasta sheets into nacho-shaped triangles, using a pizza cutter to make the task extra easy. Create a layered lasagna-inspired nacho dish with air-fried pasta nacho triangles topped with grated mozzarella. Spoon meat sauce on top followed by bechamel, then repeat the layers. Finish it off with shredded cheese and bake the nachos in the oven for five minutes.

Make A Pie

A lasagna pie may sound strange, but consider that spaghetti pies are a classic. The biggest challenge with making any pie is deciding on the fillings once you've narrowed it down to either a savory or sweet dish. Why not start with a lasagna-themed pie?

Cover the base and sides of an ovenproof dish with cooked pasta sheets on top of a layer of tomato sauce. Add ricotta mixed with egg and then a vegetable and herb layer. The mozzarella goes on next, with another lasagna sheet and more of the cheesy mixture, cooked ground meat, and more mozzarella. Create a lattice top by interweaving strips of pasta so they thread over and under each other. Bake it in the oven and broil it at the end for a couple of minutes with cheese for a gloriously golden top.

For a variation, cover the base and sides of the pie dish with overlapping triangles of cooked pasta so it's completely covered with no gaps. Add a couple of layers each of the cheese and meat filling. Try an Italian sausage mixture in place of ground meat and create a lasagna sheet lattice crust with gaps to see the pie inside.

Turn Lasagna Sheets Into Soup

Do you love a cheesy lasagna with soft noodles and lots of sauce? It's not that much of a stretch to turn this dish into a whole other comfort-food recipe: Instant Pot lasagna soup. Before you make it, promise yourself that you're going to try not to talk about how amazing it is with everyone you meet. Yes, it's that good. Remove the casings from Italian sausages and break up the meat, then saute it with onions in your Instant Pot, along with marinara sauce, chicken broth, and canned diced tomatoes. Snap dried lasagna sheets into the soup (not the no-boil type). Add mozzarella and serve it with a spoonful of ricotta mixed with parmesan, Italian seasoning, and fresh basil.

Alternatively, make a beefy, tomato lasagna soup on your stovetop in a Dutch oven. Turn off the heat and stir the cream and spinach in at the end, so the greens wilt in the hot meaty sauce laden with velvety pasta squares. Serve with grated cheddar cheese for a bold taste, as well as tangy parmesan and parsley. For a vegetarian version, use zucchini in place of meat along with cream, vegetable broth, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, and fresh herbs.

Use Lasagna Sheets For A Crunchy-Topped Bake

If you love chicken parmesan and lasagna noodles, then why not combine them into an incredible crunchy-topped bake? When trying new recipes to make with pasta sheets, this idea is a winner-winner pasta and chicken dinner. You'll need no-boil pasta for this recipe, and if you can make a white sauce pretty easily with a roux, then this is a straightforward dish.

Saute garlic first before adding the other sauce ingredients. Store-bought rotisserie chicken tastes better than homemade and is no-fuss, so shred it for the bake. Start with broken lasagna sheets in a greased ovenproof dish. Add chicken with garden peas, garlicky sauce, and grated parmesan, with a layer of noodle bits in between. Cover the bake with more pieces of dried pasta and finish with sauce and Swiss cheese. Bake covered and then sprinkle on breadcrumbs and remove the cover. The bake turns crispy on top while the pasta sauce with chicken becomes creamy.

Turn Lasagna Into Chips With Dips

Is there anybody who doesn't dive straight in when presented with chips and dips? Prepare to be amazed at the incredible ingenuity of lasagna chips. Talk about a great way to do something different with leftover lasagna sheets. If you've got sheets with lovely crinkly edges, then they'll make the chips look even better. Cook your noodles first and let them cool down before cutting them to the size of regular chips. Coat with Italian herbs, olive oil, minced garlic, and grated parmesan. Bake on a lined sheet in the oven until beautifully brown and crispy. Why not make homemade lemon hummus to dip or spinach and artichoke dip to go with them?

Add a touch of cayenne pepper to the chips before baking if you like a spicy chip. Or stick with the lasagna theme and make a ground beef and tomato sauce with herbs and parmesan. Incorporate a garlicky, cheesy sauce with ricotta and shredded cheese on top so it melts. Fry the lasagna chips so they are spectacularly crispy. Dip them straight into the skillet while it's hot and the cheese is stretchy.

Layer A Breakfast Bake

In some countries, noodles are served in soups at all times of day, including the morning. And while you may not want to dig into a Greek-inspired stifado lasagna as soon as you wake up, a breakfast bake with pasta sheets is another story. What's fantastic about this dish is that you can make it the day before to serve at a leisurely brunch over the weekend. Layer cooked lasagna sheets with bacon bits, ham, and onions, along with a cheesy sauce and eggs on top. Bake so the ingredients come together and the eggs set.

Alternatively, try making a cheesy lasagna-style bake with sausage, bacon, and spinach. Breakfast sausage or Italian varieties work equally well and you can customize your bake however you like with various breakfast ingredients. Maybe you'll add mushrooms, tomatoes, or even hash browns to the dish and serve it with avocado slices on the side.

Simmer A Stovetop Pasta Dish

If you've found yourself ready to make lasagna but realized you didn't have enough pasta sheets, a comforting stovetop pasta dish is one of the best solutions. What might have started as a second choice could easily become a go-to recipe. It's got all the elements of a cheesy, tasty lasagna but is easier to make and you can watch it all come together.

For a nourishing, meat-free dish, add broken lasagna noodles to marinara sauce with sauteed vegetables. If you use no-boil sheets, you'll need to add less water to the sauce than you might otherwise. Simmer the sauce to cook the pasta pieces and stir in finely grated parmesan so that it melts. Turn the heat off, add mozzarella on top, and cover the pan with a lid so that the cheese becomes nice and stretchy. Garlic bread is a must to mop up the tomatoey, cheesy sauce as you enjoy forkfuls of silky pasta.

For another twist, cut cooked pasta sheets into strips lengthways to make long pieces to swirl around your fork. Add them to a stovetop pasta dish with bold flavors, such as Italian sausage, white wine, and peppers with cream. Alternatively, whip up a rich sauce with chunks of beef.

Make Tacos

Next time you're making fun snacks, you have to try lasagna sheet tacos. The only issue is you'll have to listen to endless compliments about how clever you are to come up with such a cool idea. Take the praise, nobody is going to tell. Cook the noodles first and then create bitesize squares. Grab either side of the pieces with a pair of tongs so that they curve up like little boats. Be careful not to squash them shut at the top. Gently lower them into oil while you hold on, being mindful of splatters. They will keep their shape and provide mini-tacos for you to fill with whatever goodies you like. What about a meat, tomato, and cheese lasagna-style filling?

If you've got large fresh lasagna sheets, as opposed to dried ones, cut out circles and throw the discs in boiling water to soften and cook through. Bend them around a rack into a taco shape. Once hardened, fill the pasta shells with whatever goodies you like. You can always cram a few tacos in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle them with cheese, and pop the dish in the oven or under the broiler so it melts.

Craft A Pinwheel Pie

If you can't decide between making lasagna sheet rollups or a pasta-topped lattice pie, then make a pinwheel pie.  It looks fantastic and you can make it with three different fillings in one dish so you get a trio of terrific tastes. Start by cooking pasta sheets and lining them up in two columns so the ends overlap -- you'll need seven noodles for each strip. Spoon alternate fillings onto each noodle, such as bolognese topped with parmesan. For the next pasta sheet space, try spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella. Thirdly, try pan-fried bell peppers with shredded chicken and grated cheddar.

Starting at one end, begin rolling the first length, then place the roll at the start of the second length and continue. Turn the pinwheel so that it's flat and bake it in the oven in a springform tin so that it keeps its shape and is easy to remove, slice, and serve.

Dig Out A Well For A Hot Bread Bowl

If you only have a couple of lasagna sheet noodles left in the packet and are hankering after a carby lasagna, make a hot bread bowl for an incredible lasagna sandwich. Don't overthink this one, because when you take a bite you'll realize it's a no-brainer of a great idea. Take a rustic loaf, cut out a rectangle from the top, and scoop out some of the soft bread inside to make a well about the size and shape of your lasagna sheet. Line the cooked pasta in the space and top it with grated cheese, ricotta, and bolognese sauce. Add the second pasta strip on top and the fillings once again, topping with cheese. Bake the dish until the cheese is melted on top of the bread with a mini lasagna inside.

Try Italian bread rolls with Italian sausage and cheesy fillings to make a dip. Instead of laying out the noddle, fold it over the ingredients like a concertina so you get a layered effect. Before you do anything, though, brush garlic butter on the inside of the hollowed-out roll. Bake it in the oven and toast the rest of the bread to dip into the bowl.

Fry Lasagna Bites

Out of all the best things to make with lasagna sheets that aren't lasagna, deep-fried bites have to rank pretty highly. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle on a greased tray and top it with whatever filling you like. Fold it over so that you've got a little parcel and then freeze it for at least 30 minutes or until you're ready. Coat the little pasta squares in breadcrumbs, fry until golden and crispy, and serve with a dip. You don't have to use a lasagna filling, but a trio of Italian cheeses such as ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella would be delicious dipped in a marinara sauce.

Try these bites with a parmesan and panko crust or switch up the dip and enjoy them with Alfredo sauce. If you've got some leftover lasagna that's pretty solid, cut it into squares and cover it with breadcrumbs before frying. Finish it off by sprinkling grated parmesan on top of the bites.

Assemble Crispy Noodle Egg Rolls

If you're a fan of delicious egg rolls, you'll want to mix it up and try lasagna egg rolls. If you think that you're about to swap out the usual wrappers for lasagna noodles, you're wrong. But you're still going to love this simple yet appetizing idea. Wrap pieces of cooked lasagna noodles in an egg roll wrapper along with shredded cheese. As you roll, fold in the ends so that none of the filling leaks out when you fry them.

Fry in batches so the delicate wrappers don't stick together, or perhaps forgo the hot oil and stick the rolls in the air fryer instead, seam-side-down. They should be crispy on the outside, with melted cheese and soft pasta on the inside. They are as wonderful with a barbecue dip as they are with a creamy jalapeño dip, so be sure to experiment.

Read the original article on Mashed.