Reader Twists on Mr. Food Favorites: Lasagna Rollups

By Sarah Skerrett, Mr. Food Editor

What’s my favorite part about cooking? The creative freedom that goes along with each recipe I make. If there’s too much butter or oil for my taste, maybe I’ll substitute with applesauce. Or if a recipe calls for diced jalapeños, I may eliminate them entirely. (I’m no wuss, but sometimes I just can’t handle the heat!) I appreciate that recipes don’t have to be literally interpreted, and like to hear how other cooks tweak recipes.

Our Mr. Food readers are a great source of recipe variations. We love to hear when they’ve added a new ingredient for a different spin, or discovered a “lighter” version of a familiar favorite. Take Lasagna Rollups, for example. These scrumptious cheesy pasta rolls will put an end to debating who gets an “innie” and who gets an “outie” serving slice of lasagna. (Admit it: like brownies, the innie parts taste best!) As it’s a rather decadent pasta dish, Mr. Food includes tips on making it lighter using reduced-fat substitutions.

Readers pinklady627 and gluegun both have their own lighter versions of manicotti crepes, inspired by Mr. Food’s Lasagna Rollup recipe!

From pinklady627 comes a light and fast variation you can make and store for months:

“I make my own manicotti crepes. 2 cups flour. 1 cup water, 1 cup milk, dash of nutmeg. Mix all together. Heat up skillet and pour batter in & cook till batter is not wet. Do not brown. Flip over to cook top briefly. Cool and stack. Crepes can be frozen too. Wrap in wax paper, place in plastic bag. Will keep about 2 months. Very easy. Very delicious & light to digest.”

From gluegun comes a super-easy crepe you can make with Bisquick that you probably already have on-hand:

“For even lighter roll-ups I make crepes, so easy to do! 1 cup original Bisquick mix 3/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, pour 2 or 3 tablespoons into a hot skillet, rotate skillet until batter covers bottom, cook until golden. Gently loosen edge with spatula, turn and cook other side until golden, stack crepes, with waxed paper between, as remove from skillet, keep crepes covered to prevent drying out, spoon filing onto crepes, roll up. Place seam side down, bake as recipe above.”

Thanks so much to Mr. Food readers pinklady627 and gluegun for their tips!

Are there any recipes on Mr. Food that you’ve put your own spin on? We’d love to hear from you! Post a comment here or on MrFood.com.