Don’t get me wrong; they are about the same as normal lasagna. You make the ricotta mix, you cook the noodles, and instead of stacking, you roll! But, when you’re on the floor of your empty apartment (because all of your furniture was left behind in the moving process from Boston to New York) and the sun is setting, and your living room has no lights, you really start to question if you EVER had the energy level to make these kinds of rolls.I did; at some point I did. I’m just having a hard time remembering that point right now! And, lets just say that the effort was worth it; these lasagna rolls were a hit. I loved that they were individually portioned (perfect for when company-or you-want leftovers) and relatively low in calories. So you get to eat pasta without the guilt. It’s almost like having your cake and eating it too. What I wouldn’t do for some cake right now. Quick glance around yields no cake, but maybe its time to take some of these rolls: to the microwave for dinner!
Spinach Lasagna Rolls (adapted from here)
Serves: 12 (12 rolls)
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon garlic sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 glass or ceramic baking dish. To make the rolls, place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles side-by-side. Take 1/4 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over each noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with eleven other noodles. Top noodles with sauce and then add mozzarella cheese over each. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, until cheese melts and is slightly browned.
Until the next time my oven is on…
