Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and went straight to the store after work to get the ingredients. I usually stay away from this type of recipe because something like rolling up noodles or stuffing shells is generally beyond the scope of my patience. These were kind of fun though! As for taste, they were really good but I would recommend being generous with the salt and pepper. I tasted the filling before I made the rolls and thought it was good, but once they were done they could have used a little more flavor. Also, I used store bought marinara sauce, but I may have to try out the recipe for homemade sauce on the blog where this recipe was originally posted, here.

You could also add some ground beef to the filling to make them a bit heartier. Just brown the beef and add it to the filling mixture. Serving with garlic bread would be tasty, plus you'll have the oven heated up already!

Photo from budgetbytes.blogspot.com.

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, thawed and drained
  
• 2.5 cups (1 regular size jar) marinara sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil lasagna noodles for about 12 to 15 minutes, until al dente. While noodles are cooking, mix cheeses, egg, and spinach in a bowl. Once noodles are ready, drain them and allow them to cool (I ran them under some cold water to speed up the process). Spread a few tablespoons of cheese and spinach mixture onto each noodle, all the way to the edges, and roll up. Place rolled noodles in a greased baking dish. Continue making rolls until the cheese mixture is gone. There will probably be some extra noodles (I got about 12 rolls, and had about 6 noodles left - it's good to have extra in case some tear!). Cover with marinara sauce over all exposed surfaces so the noodles stay soft when baking. Cover with foil and baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

TO FREEZE

Allow rolls to cool and carefully wrap in plastic in serving size portions (we eat 3 each, so I wrap them in sets of 3) then place in labeled gallon size bag. Freeze, being careful that they are not crushed, at least until they are fully frozen - although they'll still taste just as good if they're a little misshapen. On serving day allow to cool and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until warmed through. Garnish with grated cheese, if desired, and serve.


The website (Budget Bytes) where I found this recipe is pretty cool, and definitely worth checking out!