RICOTTA AND SPINACH LASAGNA ROLL-UPS

These ricotta and spinach lasagna roll-ups are not only delicious but easier to make than a traditional lasagna. The filling combines the rich creaminess of ricotta cheese with the earthy goodness of spinach which is then rolled up in a comforting layer of pasta. It’s extra creamy and cheesy and I love to serve them with the easiest of tomato sauces making a visually appealing presentation that’s perfect for impressing guests or simply treating yourself to a special meal. I don’t know anyone who’s tried them that doesn’t love them. It’s also a great dish to make ahead and bake when needed.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• They’re easy to make. No special skills are required.
• They’re made with simple ingredients.
• You can make them ahead and bake them when needed.

What Ingredients Do I Need

• Lasagna noodles – Start with dry noodles and cook them for this recipe.
• 1 Egg – beaten
• Ricotta cheese – The fresher the better.
• Spinach – I use frozen but you can substitute fresh if you’d like. Just steam or boil it first.
• Mozzarella cheese – grated
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – finely grated
• Tomato sauce – I prefer Mutti Polpo but you can use your favorite sauce.
• Garlic
• Basil leaves – Fresh is best but you can also use dried.

How To Make Ricotta And Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

• Boil water – Start by putting a large pot of water on to boil.
• Beat egg – While waiting for the water to boil, beat the egg in a large bowl until light and frothy.

• Cook spinach – Microwave or steam spinach until it’s defrosted and drain any residual liquid.
• Dry spinach – Put spinach on a clean tea towel or cheesecloth and twist tightly to remove as much excess liquid as possible.

• Cook pasta – When water has come to a boil add the lasagna sheets. If the pot is not big enough to hold all 12 cook them in 2 batches.
• Combine ingredients – Add drained spinach, ricotta cheese, all but 1 cup of the mozzarella, Parmigiano, and salt & pepper to beaten eggs and combine well.

• Prepare sauce – Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a large saucepan and add the flattened garlic. To flatten the garlic crush it lightly with a large knife making sure to leave it whole. Cook over low heat until the garlic becomes fragrant making sure not to let it brown. Remove the garlic and add the tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. Add the chopped basil and stir.

• Dry lasagna noodles – When lasagna sheets are cooked remove them from the pot, drain them, and rinse them in cold water. Lay them on a tea towel to dry.
• Prepare baking pan – Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

• Assemble roll-ups – Add 1/4 cup of the ricotta and spinach mixture to one end of each lasagna sheet and tightly roll them up. Place them seam-side down in the baking dish.

• Add tomato sauce and cheese – Add the rest of the prepared tomato sauce to the pan and top the rollups with the remaining grated mozzarella cheese.

• Bake – Cover the baking dish with foil. You can spray the bottom of the foil with cooking oil to stop the cheese from sticking if you want. Bake in a 177 Celsius (350F) oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to turn brown.

What To Serve These Ricotta And Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups With?

I like to serve them with a fresh green salad and some good crusty bread to mop up all that yummy tomato sauce.

Recipe Tips and Tricks For Success

• Make sure to drain as much excess liquid out of the spinach as possible or else your cheese mixture will be runny.
• Ensure your ricotta and spinach mixture is well mixed to distribute all the ingredients.
• Don’t overcook the lasagna noodles. You want them al dente as they will continue to cook a bit in the oven.
• Roll the cheese mixture up in the lasagna noodles firmly, pressing in on the sides to ensure it all stays inside while it bakes.
• Don’t allow the garlic to brown in the oil or it will become bitter.

Recipe Variations

I often add some chopped basil to the ricotta and spinach mixture for an extra hit of flavor. You could also add some parsley if you want. Instead of Parmigianno, you could use a pecorino romano which has a bit of a sharper taste. For a heartier version of this dish, you could add some cooked ground beef to the ricotta and spinach mixture.

Recipe Substitutions

For a dairy-free version, you can use dairy-free cheeses. Ricotta made with soy milk will be the most similar to authentic Italian ricotta. If you want to make this dish vegan use an egg substitute as well as dairy-free ricotta. For a gluten-free dish, use gluten-free lasagna noodles.

Storage Tips

These ricotta and spinach lasagna roll-ups will keep well, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can also assemble them and bake them later. Just keep them covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. They can also be prepared and frozen until you’re ready to bake them. If you’re baking from frozen, just add about 15 minutes to the baking time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS;

What happens if you forget to cover lasagna with foil? If you forget to cover these roll ups (or lasagna) with foil they will become dry. It's best to do most of the baking with the dish covered and then remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes so the cheese can brown.

Do you put lasagna foil shiny side up or down? It actually doesn't matter as both sides are made of the same material so will work either way. 

Should I bake lasagna in a glass or aluminum pan? For dishes like this one that contain tomato sauce, the adicidity in the tomatoes could react with the aluminum giving the food a metallic taste so it's best to use glass, ceramic or stainless steel pans.

Should you put oil in pasta water? No. Adding oil to the cooking water will prevent your sauce from sticking to the pasta so never add oil. And contrary to the myth, adding oil doesn't prevent pasta from sticking together anyway.

Ricotta & Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Easy & delicious ricotta & spinach lasagna roll-ups that are served with a tomato sauce.

www.comfortandpeasant.com

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Equipment

• 1- 9 x 12 Baking dish

Ingredients

  

• 12 lasagna noodles (uncooked)
• 287 g (.63lb) frozen spinach
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 427 g (15oz) ricotta cheese
• 13 g (1/2 cup) Parmigiana Reggiano (finely grated)
• 227 g (8 oz) mozzarella (grated)
• 714 g (25 0z) tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 large basil leaves (chopped)
• 2.5 g (1/2 tsp) kosher salt
• 1.42 g (1/4 tsp) pepper
• 28 g (2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

Noodles & Ricotta Mixture

• Set a large pot of water to boil on high heat. When water has come to a boil, salt the water generously and add the lasagna noodles. Cook to al dente according to the package directions.
• Microwave or steam frozen spinach until defrosted and drain excess liquid using a tea towel. Remove as much liquid as possible.
  
• Beat egg in a large bowl until light & frothy.
  
• Add spinach, ricotta, Parmigiana, all but 1 cup of mozzarella, and salt and pepper to the bowl with the beaten egg. Mix well until all ingredients are completely combined.
  
• When lasagna noodles are cooked, drain the water and rinse the noodles under cold water. Place the noodles on a tea towel to dry.
  

Tomato Sauce

• Crush garlic cloves but do not break them up.
• Pour 28 g (2 tbsp) of extra virgin olive oil into a large pot and add the garlic. Turn the heat to low and cook for a few minutes just until the garlic becomes fragrant and is starting to brown. Make sure not to let the garlic brown. Remove the garlic from the pot.
  
• Add tomato sauce to the pot and cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and add the chopped basil and stir.
  

Assembly

• Preheat oven to 227 Celsius (350F).
• Add 1 cup of tomato sauce to a large baking dish making sure the bottom is covered.
  
• Add 1/4 cup of the ricotta spinach mixture to the end of each lasagna noodle and roll up.
  
• Place each roll-up seam side down in the baking pan with the tomato sauce in one level.
• Top with the remaining tomato sauce and the mozzarella cheese.
  
• Cover the baking pan with foil and bake on the middle rack for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and turning brown.
• Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

See the “How To Make This” & “Tips For Success” sections above the recipe for more detailed information on the process. 

Keyword cheap, Easy, garlic, lasagna, parmesan, parmigiana, Pasta, ricotta, spinach, tomato sauce

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And if you’re looking for more easy recipes check out my 30-Minute Farfalle With Sausage, Kale, And Tomatoes and my Sheet Pan Zucchini Pizza.