Easy French Dip Sandwiches

Need an Easy Dinner?

1- 6 Count bag of Sub Rolls
1 Lbs. Deli Roast Beef
Butter
1 package Au Jus

1.) Make Au Jus according to directions
2.) Add  Roast beef and simmer on Low until meat is warm
3.) Butter Sub Rolls and broil until lightly brown.
4.) Place Au Jus in small dipping cup or mug and serve sandwiches.

Spaghetti Sauce

I know everyone has their favorite sauce but this is how I learned to make Spaghetti Sauce.

4-8oz Tomato Sauce Cans or 1 Jar Prego Sauce

1 Large Boiling Pot 

Oregano

Sugar

Garlic Salt

1 Lbs. Ground Beef (Optional)

1/2 Chopped white onion (they make you cry less, Walla Walla's don't make you cry at all)

1.      1. Brown Ground Beef with onions if meat is wanted 

            2. Add Tomato sauce. Add onions if you are not adding meat.

3.      3. Make 3 passes over the pot sprinkling Oregano over sauce. (I think it is about 2 tsp, but I don’t know).

4.      4. Do one pass over of Garlic Salt and two light passes of sugar.

5.      5. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. If you have one of those cool screens, put it over the pot so you don’t have sauce everywhere.

Lasagna Rolls

While on my mission, Sister Lake would take me and my companions out to Olive Garden about once a month for lunch. I would always order Lasagna Rolls. Unfortunately it was a "limited time offer" ie "we are going to try a new menu item and if people like it we will add it to the menu". I was disappointed a few months ago when I went to the Olive Garden and it was no longer available. What did I expect, it had been two years since I last visited the Olive Garden. About two months ago I finally had all the ingredients I needed to make my version of lasagna rolls. Granted mine had marinara sauce and no chicken like the Olive Garden's did, but that doesn't matter. I had an easy freezer meal for work.

1 box of Lasagna Noodles

1 16 oz Ricotta cheese

1 Egg

1 Garlic clove chopped finely or 1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp Parsley

1 tsp. Basil

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce*

2 cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese

2 tsp Oregano

Parmesan Cheese
1 lbs. Ground beef

1.      Preheat oven to 375°F

2.      Cook Lasagna Noodles according to directions on packaging. Cool on wax or parchment paper.

3.      While noodles are cooking prepare ricotta cheese mixture by mixing ricotta cheese, egg, garlic, parsley and basil in a small bowl. Add 1 tbsp. parmesan cheese.

4.      Heat Spaghetti Sauce, add browned meat if desired

5.      When noodles are cooled enough to handle, spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese over the noodle except for 1 ½ inches on one end, lightly spread tomato sauce on top and cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Roll the noodle up like a sleeping bag from the end of the noodle that has cheese to the end that is missing cheese. By the time you get to the end “missing cheese”, enough of the mixture has pushed its way to the end.

6.      Line up rolls in 9x13 greased pan. Cover rolls with remaining sauce then cheese. Top with basil. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in oven for 45-60 minutes or until the rolls in the middle are cooked thoroughly. Remove foil for last 5-10 minutes.

I let the rolls cool for a while then placed 2 rolls in ziplock bags for storage in my freezer so I had homemade freezer dinners for work.

*See Spaghetti Sauce Post for recipe