I love making easy recipes for food that looks as good as it tastes. Take Italian baked ham provolone rosettes for example. These little lasagna roll ups or pasta pinwheels are simple enough for anyone to put together with ease, and they’re so cute! You will absolutely love these baked pasta roses with ham, provolone and parmesan.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see the privacy policy for details.
Get ready for a taste sensation with these Italian Baked Lasagna Roll-Ups! Tender pasta, savory meats, and gooey cheese all come together in this classic dish that the whole family will love.
Rosette Pasta Bake Ingredients
They are made with oven-ready lasagna sheets and you can choose from the dried or fresh kind. You are also going to be using ham, provolone cheese and parmesan cheese for these Italian pasta rosettes. Cream, basil and green onion also goes into the mix.
Use any sort of deli sliced ham you want. I like to use proscuitto cotto or Black Forest ham because it has such a rich flavour. Other quality hams would work as well. I like to ask the deli to thinly slice it for me. The parmesan should be either fresh or a good quality bagged shredded variety.
Cheese is a main element of this cheesy pasta dish. Instead of provolone, you could use other slices of cheese such as a pecorino cheese or even a fontina cheese. Instead of packaged pasta, you could use your pasta machine to make fresh pasta sheets. As for the chopped green onion, these baked pasta roses would also work with yellow onion or shallots.
How to Make Creamy Pasta Pinwheels
The first thing to do when assembling the Italian baked ham provolone rosettes is to boil the lasagna sheets until al dente. You will want to get them pliable and soft but not too soft else they will unravel and break during baking.
Lay slices of ham on top of each one and then the cheese. Roll them up, cut them into pieces and arrange in a greased baking dish. Repeat with the remaining lasagna noodles, ham and cheese.
Sprinkle the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, green onion, and parmesan cheese on top of the Italian baked ham provolone rosettes.
Pour over the cream and then cook the baked pasta roses in the oven until done. This should take about half an hour. Sprinkle the basil on top and serve while hot. I like to have it sit for a while so it’s pleasantly hot rather than crazy piping hot! Serve with a heirloom tomato caprese side salad and some homemade focaccia bread.
Can You Make Lasagna Roll Ups Ahead?
You can make it a day ahead then keep it in a covered baking dish in the refrigerator. Remember you will need to bring the Italian pasta rosettes to room temperature before baking, else the baking dish might crack when exposed to the hot oven. This is true of various kinds of glass and Pyrex dishes but not metal ones, so it depends which you’ve used.
If you want to double or even triple the Italian baked ham provolone rosettes recipe to feed a crowd, the recipe is easy to increase. You just need more ham, provolone and parmesan, as well as the other ingredients and a bigger baking dish.
These cute little baked pasta roses are perfect for a special occasion or buffet table. They’re so simple to prepare and they look pretty and taste delicious. Everyone from the youngest member of the family to the most senior is going to love lasagna roll ups with ham, provolone and parmesan. And you’re going to love how simple they are to prepare.
Pasta Pinwheels Variations
This recipe is from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and known as rosette di pasta alla romagnola. This traditional Italian recipe is one that is easy to adapt to make a unique dish. Try gluten free lasagna noodles, which are made with rice and corn, or experiment with different type of ham and cheese.
It’s best not to have the pasta pinwheels higher than the sides of the baking dish. If they are, you should cut the lasagna roll ups into four pieces each rather than three, so the cream can settle on the top without running down the sides of the dish. The Italian baked ham provolone rosettes will be a little less tall but just as cute and tasty.
You might like to add basil leaves or spinach leaves to the Italian pasta rosettes or perhaps you want to grind in some chili pepper to spice them up a little. You will find the red pepper flakes add a touch of spice but you can up the amount if you want or go for cayenne pepper instead.
Minced sundried tomatoes might be nice in this recipe and you can stir them into the cream sauce, or you might like to add some sliced olives (green or black) or a few capers. All of these are just optional ideas though of course.
What to Make these Baked Pasta Roses in?
I’ve made these in a baking dish and also in a cast iron skillet. It really just depends how many baked pasta roses you’re making. You will want to get them snug in the dish or skillet but not too compacted together.
Make sure you grease the dish or skillet before adding the Italian baked ham provolone rosettes else they might stick and the pan will be trickier to clean out too.
Italian Baked Ham Provolone Rosettes Recipe
Italian Baked Ham Provolone Rosettes – Lasagna Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 1 Box lasagna sheets oven ready flat, dry or fresh
- 1/2 Pound deli ham sliced thin
- 2 Packages provolone cheese sliced
- 1 Cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 Quart heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons green onion chopped
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 8 Leaves basil fresh
- 1 Pinch black pepper
- 1 Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Fill a large pot with water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, bring to a boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil prepare your work station by setting out your cutting board and having your ham and provolone open and easily available. If possible do this on a surface near your pot of boiling water. Have your baking dish or cast iron nearby, grease the bottom with the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil.
- When your water has come to a boil, start by putting 2 sheets of your pasta into the water. Boil the pasta until it is al dente and pliable (cook time will vary based on if you are using dry pasta sheets or fresh pasta sheets. It is important not to overcook the pasta at this stage. You are looking for it to be easily rollable without tearing or breaking.) stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Once the 2 sheets of pasta are ready, use your tongs to pull them out of the pot very carefully, be cautious as they will be very hot and may drip hot water. Lay the wet pasta sheets flat on your cutting board a few inches apart from each other
- Layer a piece of ham on top of each sheet of pasta, the ham should cover the pasta as much as possible, but don’t worry about a few empty spaces or corners
- Layer a piece of provolone on top of the ham, again filling up as much of the pasta sheet as possible,but don’t worry about a few empty spaces or corners.
- Next take one of the layered pasta/ham/cheese sheets and roll it up starting on the short end of the sheet. Repeat with the second one. At this point you will have 2 rolls.
- Cut each roll into 3 equal pieces and place cut-side up in your greased baking dish. The first few are always the trickiest as the rolls may try to unravel a bit, but the more you get into your pan the easier it will get, they will help keep each other to hold shape. They do not need to be packed super tightly, each roll should be touching the next, but there should be a little wiggle room.**Note – the rolls should not be taller than the edges of your pan. If they are you may want to cut 4 pieces out of your rolls instead of 3 to make them a little shorter.
- Repeat steps 4 through 9 until you have filled your baking dish.
- Once your pan has been filled, sprinkle the top with a little salt (not too much as the ham and parmesan will also bring saltiness), black pepper, red pepper flakes, chopped green onion, and parmesan cheese.
- Pour cream over the top of all of the rolls, getting into all of the nooks, crannies, and edges. You may not need the full amount of cream depending on the size of baking dish you are using. The cream should reach the top of your rolls.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Chop or tear the basil and sprinkle on top.
Nutrition
Notes
If you do refrigerate overnight just be aware of what type of baking dish you are using, especially if you are
using glass you will want to make sure the glass has come up to room temp before putting into a hot oven to
avoid the glass breaking or pan warping.
This dish is super easy to size up or down by using a larger or smaller baking dish.
Once you have completed steps 4-9 once, you can absolutely boil more than 2 pasta sheets at one time. I
recommend no more than 4 at a time though
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I’m sure you’ll love the simplicity of this recipe as well as the gorgeous Italian flavours in every mouthful! This will soon be one of your favourite baked pasta dishes. These delicious homemade pasta roses are filled with proscuitto cotto ham and provolone cheese and so easy to make.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
this looks lovely! I am trying this tomorrow or one day this week
I made this recipe. It was fabulous. If making the night before, would pour the heavy cream over the roll ups or wait until ready to cook?