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Have you ever been cooking and have the power go out? It’s a few minutes of helplessness followed by wonder. It’s a really bad feeling and it happened the last time we had these spinach lasagna rolls for Meatless Monday.
I felt bad and had to work, while David had the day off. No way was I going to work all day feeling bad and come home to cook, so I put David in charge of preparing the spinach lasagna rolls for supper that night.
He managed to get all the critical parts of preparing the lasagna rolls but had to finish by flashlight. The power went out and without power, our oven does not work. So we had to postpone our Meatless Monday meal. It was a crazy night in our mountain kitchen, but David’s spinach lasagna rolls turned out beautifully!
This time I prepared the spinach lasagna rolls myself. I decided to use fresh spinach, instead of frozen, out of personal preference, because I always believe fresh is best.
These spinach lasagna rolls are made with creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheeses mixed with fresh sautéed spinach, then rolled up inside lasagna noodles and topped with marinara sauce.
How To Make Spinach Lasagna Rolls:
First, heat or prepare tomato sauce; simmer while preparing the filling and boiling the noodles.
Heavily salt (as salty as the sea) a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook per package directions.
While the noodles are boiling, prepare the filling.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the spinach a handful at the time, tossing in the oil during each addition. It looks like a lot of spinach at first, but keep sauteing it will shrink to less than half. Saute just until the leaves have begun to wilt. Drain in a sieve if needed.
Combine the spinach in a bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix until well combined.
When the noodles are finished cooking, drain in a colander; set aside allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare a large casserole dish by spreading a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.
Lay out a few of the lasagna noodles at a time onto a clean workspace*. Place a couple of tablespoons of filling on each noodle; spread to cover the entire length of each noodle from edge to edge. Roll the pasta up and place in the prepared casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat until all of the filling is gone**.
Pour the marinara sauce over the prepared lasagna rolls. Spread the sauce around to cover the rolls, it will keep the noodles hydrated and soft while baking.
Cover with foil; bake until the cheese has melted and the rolls are warmed through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
NOTES:
* I have fallen in love with a roll of freezer paper! It is a great prep area that cleans up in seconds. Grab a roll at the store when shopping for ingredients to use as a prep area for this recipe!
** There may be pasta left over, these are “backups” in case any of the others rip during assembly.
These spinach lasagna rolls are perfect for emergency lunches. Divide into individual portions, by placing two rolls on a sheet of wax paper; wrap and place inside a zip-top freezer bag. When needed, remove from freezer and place them in the microwave or a preheated oven at 350 degrees F and heat until warmed through. They’ll be just as good if not better than they were the first time.
I hope you will try these delicious spinach lasagna rolls for Meatless Monday. If you do, let us know what you think and don’t forget to rate this recipe.
Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 pound lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Heat or prepare tomato sauce; simmer while preparing the filling and boiling the noodles.
- Heavily salt (as salty as the sea) a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook per package directions.
- While the noodles are boiling, prepare the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the spinach a handful at the time, tossing in the oil during each addition. Saute just until the leaves have begun to wilt. Drain if needed.
- Combine the spinach in a bowl with the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mix until well combined.
- When the noodles are finished cooking, drain in a colander; set aside allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare a large casserole dish by spreading a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.
- Lay out a few noodles at a time onto a clean workspace. Place a few tablespoons of filling on each noodle; spread to cover the entire length of each noodle from edge to edge. Roll the noodles up and place in the prepared casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat until all of the filling is gone (there may be some noodles left over, these are “backups” in case any of the others rip during assembly).
- Pour the marinara sauce over the prepared lasagna rolls. Spread the sauce around to cover the rolls, it will keep the noodles hydrated and soft while baking.
- Cover with foil; bake until the cheese has melted and the rolls are warmed through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
FrugalHausfrau says
I don’t believe I’ve ever made roll ups like these…I’ve always meant to! These look amazing and I’d love to have a freezer full of them for lunches or quick dinners!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Mollie! Thanks. You should definitely make some to pop in your freezer. I’m sure you could put a great spin on them. 🙂