Lasagna Roll Ups & Homemade Marinara Sauce

I made these roll ups on January 16th.  Today is January 28th and I'm just now blogging about it.  Can you tell I'm SO ready for February?  New month.  New start.  Do you want to know a secret?  FRIDAY is February 1st!!  This Friday.  Does it amaze you as much as me that this year is flying by already?!?  Let's all do a small celebratory dance... drum roll please... because I've sold THREE orders in my Etsy store.  Y'all.  That is just amazing.  Thank you to everyone who has backed my projects with your support!  As a sign of thanks - I'm doing a giveaway! Check out my Facebook page and comment before 8 pm tonight to be entered in the drawing :)  You just don't know how much I've needed your sweet faces this past month.  You are truly a gift from God!!

Now, let me tell you another secret.  

These beautiful things are in my freezer right now!  Topped with my homemade marinara.  Waiting on February 14th.  8 pm.  Dinner date at home with the DH after Little One is in bed.  I'm so excited!  We won't have to fight the crowds.  Won't have to worry that Little One will decide to be cranky on that one night we want to eat in peace.         I won't have to be flustered and running all around wondering what I'm going to fix.  These are 4 leftovers from my meal we had mid-January.  Frozen.  Ready to go.  All I have to do is add a salad and some garlic bread.  And boom.  Valentine's Dinner - ah-hem - a homemade Valentine's dinner is made!  

I'll be the first to say these do take a little prep time - or maybe it's just me. Those blasted lasagna noodles gave me a little trouble because I didn't have a pot big enough to really cook them.  Maybe you are better at this than I!  Now I know why I usually stick to the Crockpot Lasagna ;)  Buuuut.  This is worth the effort.  Especially to dote on your special ones with.  What else says love like good, homemade food.  Only you and I have to know you pre-made it, froze it, and it only took 35 minutes to reheat on a weeknight! 

Lasagna Roll Ups - from this awesome site

1 lb lasagna noodles (I used 11 noodles)
15 oz ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 large egg
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2.5 cups marinara sauce

 1) Gather ingredients.  I actually had a large container of fresh spinach instead of the 10 oz frozen package.  Can you believe that big ole monster of a package is 11 ounces?  It is a steal of a deal to buy the frozen, chopped, ready-to-go kind!  But, it was easy to sauté this fresh in a dry pan.  I ended up using about 6 - 7 ounces.  This is probably why I only got 11 roll ups and the original recipe says you can get 14.

To use fresh spinach:  Rough chop the spinach.  Put in a dry pan over medium heat.  Using tongs, stir frequently because the spinach on the bottom will start to wilt before the spinach on the top.  Put in paper towels or a clean dish towel and squeeze dry.

To use frozen spinach: Defrost in microwave.  Put in paper towels or a clean dish towel and squeeze dry.

2) Add the lasagna noodles to a large pot of boiling water and cook until al dente ("soft but not soggy" the original site says). I cooked mine 8 - 10 minutes, the original site suggests 12 - 15.  This is really a personal preference for you.  Especially if you plan to freeze and reheat, I would choose the 8 - 10 minute route to make sure the noodles aren't soggy at the end!  I don't know about you, but this step took me FOREVER and was messy.  I did have one noodle to rip.  I tried to use a large flat pan and cooking 3 or 4 at a time - FAIL.  Then I used a pot - better, but still not great. I'm going to have to do some research on how to cook blasted lasagna noodles.  Haha!  Please try it - and tell me your secrets!!

 3) Combine the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.  Mix until well combined.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees if you plan on preparing these roll ups now.  Spray a glass casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and sit aside.

 4) On a clean surface (I found a large glass cutting board worked well), lay out a few noodles.  Place a few tablespoons of filling on each noodle and spread to cover.  This again is up to your personal preference.  I overfilled my first few ones and didn't have quite enough for my last few.  The picture below is a little too much filling because it squeezed out when I rolled it!

5) Roll up the noodles and place them in your prepared dish.  Repeat until all of your filling is gone.  

6)  Pour over the marinara sauce, making sure to generously cover to keep the roll ups moist while baking.

If you are freezing - FREEZE now before baking.  But remember in order to eat them later... you have to bake them first! To use from frozen: Put these in the refrigerator the night before you want to use them.  Bake, covered at 400 degrees 30 - 40 minutes (depending on your oven).

 7) Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve hot.  You can also divide into individual portions and refrigerate for leftovers now.

Enjoy with a nice salad and some crusty garlic bread!

 I had these adorable mini tins left over from suppling meals to some sweet  sweet new moms.  They were perfect for 2 roll ups a piece.  Just enough to share with my Love. 

The Verdict

A lot of work.  But more than totally worth it!!  I cannot say that enough!  It's actually not bad if you can just get the lasagna noodles to cook well.  I just need a bigger pot probably!  Ha.  I can't tell you how excited I am to have a fun and festive dinner for my Love sitting in the freezer waiting on me.  And is it just me or do pasta dishes that sit for a while just taste better the second time around?  This recipe is also completely customizable!  Add some cooked ground beef, turkey, or Italian sausage to your filling.  Or load it up with roasted vegetables.  Yum.  My mouth is watering now!

Make these for your Sweet Ones this weekend!  Spread the love :)