Spinach and ricotta lasagna roll-ups
All the cheesy comfort of lasagna rolled into neat little spirals that cook in one covered skillet.
- 65 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $3.13 a serving
- 790 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- ½ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups marinara sauce, divided
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)
From your pantry
- 3½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 790 calories, 41 g protein, 80 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $3.13 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No ricotta cheese? Cottage cheese works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water and bring it over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Squeeze the thawed spinach hard over the sink, a handful at a time, until no more water drips out. If it’s still frozen, microwave it in a bowl for 3 minutes first.
Dolly’s tip: Squeeze harder than feels necessary. Wet spinach makes watery rolls.Add 1 tablespoon salt and the noodles to the water and cook until bendy but still firm, about 2 minutes less than the package says. Stir gently so they don’t stick.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
High heatTimer: 9 min
the noodles, them gently with the olive oil, and lay them flat on a or a clean counter so they don’t stick together.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Dolly’s tip: A noodle or two might tear. Patch it or roll it anyway, since the sauce hides everything.the garlic and stir it in a bowl with the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella, ¼ cup parmesan, Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Spread 1 cup marinara over the bottom of a 12-inch that has a lid.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Spread about ¼ cup filling along each noodle, roll it up from a short end, and set it seam side down in the sauce.
Dolly’s tip: Leave an inch bare at the far end. The filling spreads as you roll.Spoon the rest of the marinara over the rolls and scatter the remaining mozzarella and parmesan on top.
Cover and cook over low heat until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese has , 15 to 20 minutes.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Dolly’s tip: Keep it low and covered. Higher heat scorches the sauce before the middles get hot.Let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes, then scatter torn basil over the top and serve.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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