Lasagna Roll-ups

Okay, I really think that I'm going to stop saying I've found stuff on Pinterest.  Unless otherwise stated, I probably found most of these recipes on Pinterest.

I love pasta and I'm ALWAYS looking for recipes I've never tried before, seem easy, and I could possibly make for years to come. I found a recipe for lasagna roll-ups and I made them the other day, and this recipe is going in my arsenal.  I just really like the options that come with this recipe but be sure not to over-stuff your noodles because they won't roll up easily. The recipe I found called for a spinach and ricotta cheese filling. This may make me sound stupid but I always thought ricotta cheese was like cottage cheese because ricotta cheese is found next to the cottage cheese in the grocery store.  Anywhos, if you don't know yet...ricotta cheese is the fluffy white cheese found in lasagna.

Ingredients you'll need:
- 8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
-16 oz Ricotta cheese
-Fresh spinach
-Minced garlic
-Smidge of butter
-Italian sausage (or not if you want to keep this dish vegetarian)
-Fresh mushrooms, chopped
-1 jar spaghetti sauce, your choice.  I used Newman's Own Roasted Garlic spaghetti sauce.  Once I tried Newman's Own Roasted Garlic spaghetti sauce, I vowed to never buy any other sauce ever again. It is sooooo good.

First, I boiled the lasagna noodles according to package directions and once they were soft, I laid them out on a cookie sheet covered in foil (to prevent sticking) and just left them.  Because Andy is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, I then browned up some Italian sausage to put in our lasagna roll-ups. I cut up some fresh mushrooms and set them aside...the recipe didn't call for mushrooms but I love mushrooms and wanted to add them to my mixture.  In a separate bowl, I wilted spinach with a little bit of butter and minced garlic.  in the microwave for two minutes, stirring every 20-30 seconds.  I used 3-4 handfuls of fresh spinach because it really condenses when it's wilted. I love garlic and wish I had used more.  I used about 2-3 teaspoons of garlic.

In a separate bowl I mixed together 16 ounces of ricotta cheese, the wilted spinach, and the mushrooms.  I mixed and mixed until the ingredients were well-blended and the cheese was fluffy. I then started spreading the cheese mixture onto the  lasagna noodles and sprinkled the meat over the cheese mixture.  I left one noodle meatless so I could try it without the sausage.  I definitely like my lasagna roll-ups meatless...sorry, Andy.  Anyways, roll your noodles up after filling them. Make sure when rolling them that the noodle remains tight without ripping.  I liken it to rolling up a sleeping bag.  Leave at least one end of the noodle empty of filling and start rolling at the opposite end.  The sticky, empty end of the noodle will stick to the outside of the rolled-up noodle and keep it from unrolling.

I sprayed some cooking oil on the bottom of a 9x13 pan and put the roll-ups (seam side down) in the pan.  I used one jar of spaghetti sauce and spooned it out over the roll-ups.  If I were to do it again, I'd pour some sauce in the bottom of the pan (after spraying with oil) and then pour the rest over the roll-ups.  Bake in the oven, covered, at 375 for roughly 30-40 minutes, or until hot. I waited until the sauce started boiling, which took about 30 minutes for my oven. Different ovens have different cooking times so just keep an eye on it once it gets around the 20-30 minute mark.

This recipe is great because it is easy and I like that it can be vegetarian or not. It is time-consuming but oh man...it is worth it. Now that I know how time-consuming it is, I won't wait until 5:30 to begin preparation for it. This recipe is going in my Fireproof Box...just so ya know.

Until next time...Fire Away!