Lasagna roll ups have been around for a while. But I never considered them until recently. They are easier to prepare than regular lasagna; and you can use as many lasagna noodles as needed for any given meal. That makes them a dish worth trying, and enjoying on a regular basis.

Now, there are recipes that call for making them with just 9 lasagna noodles, or 10. I would suggest, in this case, use a 9″x9″ baking dish. In my rendition I used a whole one pound package of lasagna. As for  the baking pan, I used a standard size (15½”x10″); and  it held 13 roll-ups. The rest I used in another recipe which entail stuffing the noodles with baked, flaked fish  fillets. That’s the beauty of this recipe. You can stuff the noodles with meat, veggies or seafood. You are only limited by your imagination. With some crusty bread and a good chianti, you have a good but inexpensive banquet.

LASAGNA ROLL UPS

Ingredients:

1 pound package lasagna noodles
2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil (and more for topping)
Pinch of black pepper
2 cups marinara sauce (and more for topping)

Instructions:

  1. Boil lasagna noodles and cook until just soft enough for rolling (soft but not soggy, about 12-15 minutes). When they are done, drain in  a colander.
  2.  While noodles are cooking, prepare the filling. Thaw the packs of frozen spinach in a microwave and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. In a bowl, combine and mix well the spinach with the garlic, basil, black pepper and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
  3.  When the noodles and filling are ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare  a baking dish or glass casserole by coating lightly with olive oil or butter.
  4.  Remove noodles from water, and lay side by side on a clean surface. Spread about 1/4 cup of the spinach-cheese mixture on top of each noodle. Roll up each noodle, making sure nothing squishes out in the process.
  5.  Spread about 1/4 – 1/3 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with more marinara, then sprinkle with the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. When fully cooked, remove from oven and top with fresh chopped basil.
    Yield: 6 servings