Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Yesterday I felt like I was living in the kitchen. I cooked a lot more than most days, and it was lots of fun. Well, cleaning up after myself wasn't fun, but I'm glad to have food to cook and dishes to clean.

For dinner we tried this recipe from budgetbytes. I've seen recipes like this, but hers looked the best. It turned out great! It took some work. I had never cooked lasagna noodles before, so I think I undercooked them slightly. Spreading the cheese mixture took some time, but I feel like it was so worth it! I think it looked nice and tasted great. I think it would be very impressive to serve to dinner guests.

I used the recipe for homemade marinara from budgetbytes also, and I thought they went together nicely. The only change I made to the recipe was after I used half of the filling as the recipe directs I sprinkled in some garlic powder and 1/4 feta cheese. The ones with the garlic and feta were amazing! It was a lot of feta because it was only half of the filling, but I think it was perfect.

And the great thing about this recipe is you can make it your own. You could add mushrooms, veggies, pesto, meat, whatever you love in lasagna. My favorite lasagna recipe uses Italian sausage. Next time I make the roll ups I will add that.

One more thing, don't skimp on the sauce. The roll ups cook covered with foil, but even so, the ones that aren't totally covered in sauce dry out a little.

Here's the recipe:

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. lasagna noodles

15 oz. ricotta

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 lg. egg

10 oz. frozen spinach

2.5 cups marinara sauce

to taste: salt and pepper

as needed: non-stick spray

STEP 1: Get a large pot of water boiling with a dash of salt. When it comes to a full boil, add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente (soft but not soggy... about 12-15 minutes). When they are finished cooking, drain in a colander.

STEP 2: While the noodles are boiling, prepare the filling. Thaw the package of frozen spinach in the microwave and then squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Combine the spinach in a bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, freshly grated pepper and about 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix until well combined.

STEP 3: When the noodles and filling are ready to go, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a glass casserole dish by spraying with non-stick spray.

STEP 4: On a clean surface, lay out a few noodles at a time. Place a few tablespoons of filling on each noodle and spread to cover from edge to edge. The filling does not need to be thick because once the noodle is rolled up, it will be compounded. Make sure to spread it all the way to the edges of the noodles.

STEP 5: Roll the noodles up and place in the prepared casserole dish. Repeat until all of your filling is gone (there may be some noodles left over, these are "back ups" in case any of the others rip during assembly). Pour the marinara sauce over the rolled noodles making sure to cover all surfaces. The sauce will keep the noodles hydrated and soft while baking.

STEP 6: Cover the dish in foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot or divide into individual portions and refrigerate.

I have always made lasagna using no-boil noodles, so this was a first for me:



I did four noodles at a time on my cutting board. I was light on the filling to make 16 roll ups.



Ready for sauce:



Finished!