Eating With A: Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna Roll-Ups

After my first lasagna ever, the butternut squash lasagna, that I made last week, I had a bunch of leftover lasagna noodles. I cooked the whole box, not knowing what I would need. So I knew that I would be making another lasagna before they went bad.

I stumbled across the website, Beth's Journey, while searching for spinach & artichoke lasagna recipes. I was looking for one that would use red sauce - I didn't really feel like going to buy a creamy Alfredo type sauce and that is what most of the recipes used. But this girl Beth, she used red sauce, and her post about these little roll-ups was so cute! Read it here!

I sent the recipe to my husband and we decided we would try them. At first, I was just going to make a simple spinach and pepperoni lasagna, but these looked more interesting and the pepperoni could be used another time. So I set about making them.

I did make some changes - as the original poster recommended, I used the sauce from the get-go. I also chopped up the spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese in my blender instead of just hand mixing them. I also added some oregano and crushed red pepper for some extra taste, since my husband and I tend to like things a little more seasoned. I also didn't tie the bundles together with a scallion string as she did, so I will omit that from the recipe I post below, and add the things I used. Please see the link above for the original recipe. I also added some Parmesan cheese, because I can't eat anything Italian without Parmesan!!

The recipe turned out well! My husband really enjoyed dinner and it was a good way to use up the rest of the noodles and ricotta cheese we had in the house from the butternut squash lasagna.

This was also pretty easy to make. I didn't have to take time cooking the noodles since I had already made them last week, I just gently soaked them in water to loosen them up. Blending the ingredients only took a few minutes and the assembly was a snap. It probably took me no more than 25 minutes to put these together and then about 25 minutes in the oven.

We also have some leftovers, so at least I know we have another dinner this week! Yum!

Here is the recipe! (My version - I didn't really use measurements)

Ingredients:

lasagna noodles
about 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
about 1/2 cup thawed chopped spinach
frozen artichoke hearts, chopped (not sure how many I used, a handful)
garlic powder (to taste)
marinara sauce
a sprinkle of light shredded mozzarella
a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan
oregano
crushed red pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350º F.

(If you have to cook your noodles, put a pot of water up and cook them for the minimum recommended cooking time)

Combine ricotta, spinach, artichoke, and garlic powder for filling. You can either hand chop everything, or mix it in a food processor or blender. I chose the latter for the quickest way to get this going. (I may have added a dash of oregano to the mixture after I blended it and decided it needed a tad more taste).

Once noodles are cooked, lay them out and sprinkle a tiny amount of crushed red pepper on the noodle, then evenly divide filling and place 2 inches from the bottom of each noodle.

Fold bottom of noodle up over filling and then roll the rest of the noodle around the filling, placing seam side down. Repeat for all noodles you are using.

Place bundles in a greased Pyrex or whatever vessel you are cooking them in. I also coated the bottom of the Pyrex dish with a layer of sauce.