Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Spinach and cheese lasagna rolls

I originally saw this photo on Pinterest....ummmmm, yeah. I'll have that. I do follow Gina's blog though, so this must've been back in the archives where I never happened upon it until now. Isn't Pinterest just the best! Anyway, if you want to check out more of Gina's skinny recipes, click HERE!  Oh, and judge away...her photos are insane compared to mine!


 I followed the recipe, but not really to a T.  I had a bunch of spinach in the fridge as well as some ricotta so I thought I would give this a go. I didn't really measure my spinach, I just threw the rest of the huge container in there....if you're not a spinach lover, you may want to refrain from using as much as I did.  I am in fact a lover of all things green, so this was a perfect amount for me! 

I wilted the spinach with a tiny bit of butter and 3 cloves of minced garlic in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds. I then added my container of light ricotta, and a package of fresh mozzerella that I chopped up to the spinach mixture.


My lasagna noodles were boiled ahead of time and cooled off, so I laid them out on the table and started spooning the filling onto them.


Roll 'em on up!


And place them in your greased baking pan...


Now...you know me. I can't really go meatless. I've tried...it just doesn't satisfy me. You vegetarians are strong people if you ask me. So instead of using just tomato sauce as the recipe called for...I used the leftover jar of bolognese sauce I had from when I made cheese ravioli a couple weeks prior to this.

Pour the sauce on top, and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper to give it a little kick in the pants.


Either throw it in the fridge to bake when you're ready for it, or throw it in the oven right away to chow on immediately. I prefer making meals like this on a weekend to throw in the oven for a home cooked dinner during the week...takes me about 2 hours on Sunday to get all meals and cleanup done for the week ahead...I would say that's a good trade off for the time I save during the week.


I was not disappointed in this pasta in the slightest (like I've ever been disappointed with one of Gina's recipes)...and I don't think the large mouse in our house was either. There were obviously leftovers since there were just 2 of us eating this dish...but every time I would peek in at the leftovers, half a lasagna roll would be gone!  The fork left in the container was another clue. And don't ask why I was opening the leftovers each day either...I can't be trusted around phenomenal pasta. It's something I've had to come to terms with throughout my adult life!


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73 comments:

  1. What do you set the oven to and how long do you bake it?

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  2. Check out the link to the original recipe at the top.

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  3. These were delicious!!! I followed what you did and wilted the spinach in the microwave first. I used fresh spinach because that was all I had. I mixed the ricotta and parmesan and sprinkled the mozarella over the top. Thanks for posting this it definitely will be added to our table often!

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  4. Can the lasagna rolls be frozen?

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    Replies
    1. I would think they would freeze very nicely!

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    2. Yes I made these without spinach, my husband won't eat it, and froze them in batches. I can just pull them out and throw them in the oven with some sauce and dinner is done.

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    3. do you freeze them with sauce or without? Thanks for the input!!

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    4. I freeze them completely done, so with the sauce and everything included!

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    5. I froze them without the sauce on a cookie sheet then stored in freezer bags. That way I can just take out as many as I want to cook that night. Works great!
      Side note - I put cooked Italian sausage in my ricotta/spinach mixture and used alfredo sauce instead if tomato sauce on one batch. So tasty.

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  5. yum yum yum. will be trying this as soon as i can get to the grocery store :)

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  6. I bet these would be wonderful with alfredo sauce!!

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  7. I substituted the spinach with ground beef, otherwise I would never get my family to eat this and it was amazing!!!

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  8. Do you cover it like you would with regular lasagna?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I baked it covered until the last 10-15 minutes...then I took the tin foil off!

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  9. ill be trying this for sure

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  10. Substituting ricotta cheese with Tofu! So good!

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  11. I make these with heavy whipping cream poured over top for the alfredo version. Fantastic!

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    Replies
    1. Great idea, I will have to try a white version...thanks!

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  12. Delish! Making this this week! Thank you!

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  13. Yumm! I like all the variations this recipe offers. Definitely making this Sunday.

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  14. Going to try this tomorrow...Thank you, i love spinach but my husband hates it, so the meat on top makes us both happy lol :)

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  15. Loved it!!! Did the spinach, ricotta, & parmesan inside, then poured a meat marinara sauce on top!!!! It was so GREAT!!!

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    1. Glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as we did!

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  16. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! I added a lil bit more to it!...for all you meat lovers out there...I added Italian sausage...I cooked the ground meat first on stove top: Then I put it on the cooled down noodle: added the spinach/ricotta/& sharp parmesan mixture: rolled them up & put a little sauce on the bottom of the pan first so they don't stick then add sauce on the top as well...then more cheese!!! NOTE:: I will make these again but will add the cheese on the noodle before the meat so it's easier to spread!! This was a great meal!!

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    Replies
    1. We need to have meat too so italian sausage really peps it up! Great additions!

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  17. what did you pair with them at the end?

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    1. Pair it with King's french bread...here's the link but you will need to copy and paste it in your browser since Im not sure why it won't hyperlink in the comments:

      http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2012/08/kings-french-bread.html

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    2. A very good cab sav wine, of course!

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  18. "i cant be trusted around phenomenal pasta"
    i know exactly how you feel.... SOUNDS DELICIOUS i will be making soon:)

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  19. I made this tonight and added Italian sausage. Delicious and so easy! My 4 yr old even ate it. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. :)

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  20. so is all the recipes you put on here healthy ??

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    Replies
    1. I would say they are healthified, I try not to use full fat anything...and cut calories where I can! Portion control is the key to healthy eating in my experience though :)

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  21. Making this tonight. Love Love Love when I come across a good recipe and I happen to have everything on hand :) Thanks for sharing.

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  22. if i am feeding a group of 12 HUNGRY people...how much spinish, ricotta and mozarella should i buy? i am doing this tonight so i hope you can get back to me..if not, i will improvise :)

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    1. I would just double the recipe for 12 large appetites! I think I used one container ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, and 1/2 package of spinach so double that and you should be good...these freeze well too so it would be better to have too much than not enough, and freeze the leftovers!

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    2. DELICIOUS!!!!! Sub In Cottage Cheese and 1 Egg insteasd of Ricotta
      1/2 meatball or piece of sausage on top
      (pre Cooked)

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  23. going to make this for xmas. using alfredo sauce instead

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  24. Do u cook the spinach 1st

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    Replies
    1. wilted in butter in the microwave. Only know this because I read it up above. :)

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  25. I made these this morning and am going to pop them in the oven tonight when I get home from work. Only thing thing I did different is whip an egg into it.

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  26. Our family has always substituted cottage cheese for ricotta cheese for a healthier version when making lasagna.....I will be doing this with this recipe tonight when I make them for dinner......so yummy and no one knows the difference! :-)

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    1. I do that sometimes too! Tastes very similar...

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  27. My hubby and my kids loved this, used meat sauce and mozzarella on top (hubby doesnt like parmesean) anyway they all loved it and it will regular on our dinner table

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    1. Great to hear that you liked it as much as we did!

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  28. This looks sooo good! I am going to add it to my monthly meal planning! :D

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    1. It was great, and would freeze perfectly for make ahead dinners!

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  29. This looks delicious. I love adding meat on my lasagna because i just love how it taste. This way of making lasagna is definitely a must have :). Thanks for sharing.

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  30. For you meat lovers, just mix some crumbled sausage or taco meat into the spinach mix!

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  31. Did you add an egg to the mixture?

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    1. I didn't...but you very well could. I've never understood the egg in lasagna thing...

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  32. I'm writing down the ingredients for my shopping list. Thanks for the recipe.

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  33. How much ricotta, spinach and mozarella do you use? I didn't find exact recipe details. I suppose the same with the garlic!? Thanks :) Making them tonight.

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  34. I've made this before and I LOVED It, going to make it again tonight for an Italian Potluck we're having at work tomorrow! YUMMM

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  35. Spinach and cheese lasagna rolls are delicious and healthy. Many thanks for sharing post

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  36. Ok, here's a silly question from a new cook.... how do you cook long lasagna noodles?

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