Lasagne is the quintessential comfort food, but this recipe offers a twist by transforming it into a pasta bake, making it an even more straightforward option for a weeknight dinner. baked pasta lasagne rolls present a creative spin on this beloved classic, perfect for serving as a main course or even at your next summer barbecue.

Preparing this simple recipe takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes, followed by a 30-minute cooking time in the oven. In her cookbook 'Simple Comforts', Mary wrote: "A great pasta bake, this has rolled pasta sheets filled with sausage meat and spinach all baked in a tomato sauce.

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"The pasta will be soft underneath and crispy on top."

For the tomato sauce:

• One large onion (finely chopped)
• Two celery sticks (finely chopped)
• One large garlic clove (crushed)
• Two (400g each) tins of chopped tomatoes
• Basil (chopped)
• Half a teaspoon of sugar
• Two tablespoons of sundried tomato paste
• Two tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the filling:

• 300g of pork sausage meat
• 150g of button mushrooms (finely chopped)
• 100g of baby spinach
• 100ml of double cream
• 50g of parmesan cheese
• One red chilli (finely chopped)
• One garlic clove (crushed)
• One tablespoon of olive oil

For the topping:

• 25g of Gruyere cheese

Required kitchen equipment:

• Shallow ovenproof casserole dish with a lid
• Large frying pan

To prepare the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish, then add the onion and celery, sautéing for a few minutes over high heat. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and 150ml of water, bringing the mixture to a boil.

Continue stirring, season with salt and pepper, add the sugar, then cover and simmer for around 15 minutes. Stir in the basil. Spoon six heaped tablespoons of the tomato sauce into a bowl and set aside, reports .

To prepare the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the sausage meat, and brown over high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add the chili, mushroom, and garlic, frying for a few minutes, then add the spinach, cooking until wilted.

Add the cream, then take the pan off the heat and let it cool until the filling is cold, before stirring in the parmesan cheese and seasoning to taste.

Soften the lasagne sheets a bit by soaking them in a dish of boiling water for two minutes, then drain and pat dry with a tea towel. Lay out the lasagne sheets on a worktop and distribute the filling mixture among them, spreading it over each sheet.

Begin rolling up each one from the short end to create a tight roll, trimming any surplus pasta. Use a sharp knife to slice each tube into three segments.

Position each roll cut side up in the tomato sauce in the pan, arranging them in an appealing pattern. Bake for roughly 20 minutes until the pasta is just tender and the tomato sauce is bubbling.

Take the dish out of the oven, ladle over the reserved tomato sauce and sprinkle with Gruyere cheese. Return the dish to the oven for another 20 minutes until the top is crispy, then serve while it's still piping hot.