Description
Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups are a creative twist on traditional lasagna, featuring tender pasta sheets filled with a creamy ricotta and spinach mixture, baked in marinara sauce and topped with golden melted mozzarella cheese. This dish offers a delightful, family-friendly meal that’s easy to prepare and perfect for a comforting dinner.
Ingredients
Lasagna and Sauce
- 12 lasagna sheets
- 1 ½ cups prepared marinara sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt (for pasta water)
Filling
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Topping
- ⅓ cup low moisture mozzarella cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven and boil pasta: Preheat your oven to 375˚F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna sheets and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
- Prepare the filling: While pasta cooks, drain the thawed spinach thoroughly by squeezing out as much water as possible. In a medium bowl, combine the drained spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, grated garlic, chopped basil, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix well, ensuring the spinach is evenly distributed without large clumps.
- Prepare baking dish: Spread about ½ cup of marinara sauce evenly at the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Assemble roll ups: Drain pasta and place on a clean surface. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling evenly over each lasagna sheet, then roll each sheet into a spiral. Arrange the roll ups in rows (4 rows of 3 roll ups each) in the baking dish over the marinara sauce.
- Add sauce and cheese topping: Drizzle remaining marinara sauce over the roll ups and sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.
- Bake covered: Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
- Bake uncovered: Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
Notes
- Make sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the spinach to avoid soggy filling.
- Use fresh basil for the best flavor, but dried can be substituted if necessary.
- Lasagna sheets should be cooked just until al dente to prevent them from breaking when rolling.
- For added flavor, you can use a mix of cheeses or top with extra Parmesan before baking.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven for best results.
