Gochujang Chicken Lasagna Roll-Ups
Tender lasagna noodles are spread with a creamy scallion-ricotta filling, rolled around a spicy-savory gochujang chicken and tomato sauce, then baked under bubbling mozzarella and finished with toasted sesame seeds. It's an Italian-Korean mash-up with gentle heat and deep umami.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 10 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 1 hr 55 min
- Makes
- 12 roll-ups (6 servings of 2)
Steps
Before you start
- Gochujang brands vary in heat and sweetness. Taste yours first; if it's very hot, start with 2 tablespoons and add more at the end of simmering.
- Set out the ricotta, egg and mozzarella while you cook so the filling mixes smoothly.
- Use standard (not no-boil) lasagna noodles. Boil 12 noodles, though the box will have extras, which gives you spares in case any tear.
- Have a 9×13-inch baking dish ready, and don't preheat the oven until step 6.
Boil the noodles
- Bring a large pot with 5 quarts (5 liters) of water to a rolling boil over high heat and stir in the salt.
- Add the 12 lasagna noodles, stirring for the first minute so they don't stick.
- Cook 1 minute less than the package directions (usually 9–10 minutes), until pliable and tender but still slightly firm in the center.
- Lift out with tongs, rinse briefly under cool water, and lay flat in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Ready when: Noodles bend without cracking but still have a slight bite in the center
Tip: Slightly undercooked noodles finish in the oven and tear less when rolled.
Soften the aromatics
- Set the large deep skillet over medium heat and add the neutral oil.
- Add the diced onion and ¼ teaspoon of the sauce salt (from the ½ tsp).
- Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent and the garlic smells fragrant but hasn't browned
Tip: Lower the heat if the garlic starts to brown; burnt garlic turns the sauce bitter.
Brown the chicken
- Raise the heat to medium-high and add the ground chicken.
- Break it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains and the pieces are lightly golden.
- Stir in the gochujang and cook 1 minute, coating the chicken and letting the paste darken slightly.
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Ready when: No pink remains; chicken is in small crumbles and lightly golden
Tip: Don't crowd the pan. If liquid pools, let it cook off before adding the gochujang.
Simmer the sauce
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the soy sauce, brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon sauce salt.
- Stir well, scraping up browned bits.
- Bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered and stirring every 5 minutes, for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the sesame oil and taste; add a pinch of salt or sugar if needed.
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Ready when: Sauce is thick enough that a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that closes slowly
Tip: A thick sauce keeps the roll-ups from turning watery in the oven.
Mix the cheese filling
- While the sauce simmers, combine the ricotta, beaten egg, shredded filling mozzarella, Parmesan, sliced scallions, salt and pepper in the medium bowl.
- Stir until evenly blended and creamy.
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Ready when: Mixture is uniform, with no streaks of egg
Tip: Drain any watery liquid from the ricotta first so the filling stays thick enough to spread.
Preheat and prep panOven 375°F / 190°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C).
- Spread 1½ cups (about 350 g) of the chicken sauce over the bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Set aside the rest of the sauce, about 3 cups, for filling and topping.
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Ready when: Bottom of the dish is evenly coated with sauce
Tip: The sauce layer on the bottom stops the rolls from sticking and scorching.
Fill and roll
- Pat the noodles dry with a paper towel if wet.
- Working one at a time, lay a noodle flat and spread about 3 tablespoons (about 55 g) of the cheese filling evenly over its surface, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) border at one short end.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the chicken sauce over the cheese.
- Roll up snugly from the filled end.
- Stand each roll seam-side down, cut-end up, in the baking dish, nestling them tightly in 2 rows of 6.
- Repeat with all 12 noodles.
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Ready when: Rolls are snug and stand upright without unrolling
Tip: Don't overfill; filling that squeezes out the sides will brown and dry out.
Sauce and cheese
- Spoon the remaining sauce (about 2 cups) over and between the roll-ups, covering the noodles so they don't dry out.
- Scatter the 1½ cups top mozzarella evenly over the surface.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil, tenting it slightly so it doesn't touch the cheese.
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Ready when: All exposed noodle edges are covered with sauce
Tip: Spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray to prevent cheese sticking.
Bake coveredOven 375°F / 190°C
- Bake the covered dish in the 375°F (190°C) oven for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the rolls are heated through.
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Ready when: Sauce bubbles at the edges of the dish
Bake uncoveredOven 375°F / 190°C
- Remove the foil and bake 10–12 minutes longer, until the mozzarella is melted with golden-brown spots.
- Check that the center of a roll registers 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
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Ready when: Cheese is bubbly with golden spots and the center of a roll reads 165°F (74°C)
Tip: For more browning, broil on high for the last 1–2 minutes, watching closely.
Rest and garnish
- Let the dish rest on a rack for 10 minutes so the filling firms up and the sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and sliced scallion.
- Serve 2 roll-ups per person with a spatula, spooning extra sauce from the dish over the top.
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Ready when: Sauce has stopped bubbling and the rolls hold their shape when lifted
Tip: Cutting in too early makes the rolls slump and the filling run.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep the cooked noodles from sticking by laying them flat in a single layer rather than stacking.
- If a noodle tears, patch it with a spare or simply roll it and place the torn side down; nobody will notice once sauced.
- For more heat, stir 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) into the sauce; for a milder dish, use 2 tablespoons gochujang.
- Use low-moisture block mozzarella you shred yourself; it melts better than pre-shredded, which contains anti-caking starch.
Make ahead
"Assemble the roll-ups through step 8, cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncovered 10–12 minutes until 165°F (74°C) in the center. The sauce alone can be made up to 3 days ahead."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: covered airtight up to 4 days. Freezer: wrap individual roll-ups or the whole pan tightly and freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat covered with foil at 350°F (175°C) for 20–25 minutes (30–35 if from a full pan), or microwave a single portion at 70% power for 2–3 minutes, until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C)."
Substitutions
- ground chicken (preferably thigh meat) → ground turkey or ground pork. Cook ground pork until no pink remains and check for 160°F (71°C) for pork; turkey is 165°F (74°C). Lean turkey may need an extra teaspoon of oil.
- gochujang (Korean chili paste) → 2 tablespoons sriracha plus 1 tablespoon white miso. Gives similar heat and savory depth, but will be less sweet and fermented; add an extra ½ teaspoon brown sugar.
- whole-milk ricotta → small-curd cottage cheese, drained and blended smooth. Slightly tangier and a bit looser; drain well in a sieve for 15 minutes.
- soy sauce → tamari. Makes the sauce gluten-free if you also use gluten-free lasagna noodles.