Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe

Are you looking for an easy recipe for a meatless version of Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups? You will love this Italian classic comfort food with a twist.

Who can resist a baked pasta dish, smothered in tomato sauce, filled with spinach, creamy ricotta and topped with a layer of bubbly mozzarella cheese?

Sounds delicious, right?

As an added bonus, the unbaked individual portions of lasagna roll-ups can be frozen and conveniently baked, at a later time, without thawing.

Simply transfer the desired amount of roll-ups from the freezer to your baking dish; add tomato sauce, bake and enjoy.

Just like these Italian Stuffed Shells, or this recipe for Baked Pasta -it’s a stress-free meal to add to your weeknight dinner rotation menu.

Come and take a look at how easy they are to make.

Mise en place

There is a little bit of prep work that needs to be done before we assemble our lasagna rolls.

Let’s begin with the sauce, the filling and the lasagna noodles.

The Tomato Sauce: For this recipe, you need a tomato or marinara sauce. You will need approximately 3-3½ cups. I used half of the amount of my Quick Tomato Sauce recipe. If it is more convenient for you, use your favorite commercial brand. 

The Spinach Cheese Filling: In order to make the filling, sauté 1 medium chopped onion in 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute.

Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, a few pinches of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste, and continue to sauté for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent. Set this mixture aside to cool down to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine 5 ounces of chopped fresh spinach, about 2 cups of fresh ricotta cheese (you can use a 1 pound container) and the room temperature sautéed onion mixture. Mix to combine.

Next, add 2 slightly beaten eggs, ½ cup of pecorino Romano cheese (or if you prefer, use Parmesan), salt and pepper to taste.

An optional ingredient is just a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg. 

That’s it! The spinach ricotta cheese filling is done. 

We will use the grated mozzarella to top the dish.

Cook the Lasagna Noodles: Bring a very large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the lasagna noodles one at a time to prevent them from sticking together.

Allow the noodles to soften a little before stirring. Cook according to the package instructions minus a few minutes since this pasta dish continues to bake in the oven.

Cook the noodles to a stage where they are roll-able, otherwise they will break.

When ready, remove the noodles from the pot of boiling water and place in a big bowl of cold water. This will stop the cooking process and will prevent the noodles from drying out as we get ready to assemble the roll-ups. 

How to assemble

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place one oven grate in the center and another one at the top of your oven.

Place a clean kitchen towel on the countertop. Remove the lasagna noodles from the bowl of water and place it on the tea towel. Gently dry the top of the noodles with another tea towel.

Using two spoons or a pastry bag with the bottom cut off, spread about 2-3 tablespoons of the spinach ricotta filling in the middle of each lasagna noodle. Stop at 1-1½ inches from the top. 

Starting at the end closest to you, begin to roll the pasta applying gentle pressure.

Place about ½- 1 cup of tomato sauce at the base of your baking dish. To bake all of the 12 lasagna rolls, you will need a 13 x 9″ baking dish. Mine is 11 x 7″ since I froze 4 roll-ups for recipe testing.

Tilt the dish so that the sauce coats the bottom evenly.

Place them in the prepared dish, with the seam side down. Repeat until all the lasagna noodles are rolled and placed in your pan.

Top with the remaining tomato sauce. Shake the pan so that the sauce coats the individual rolls.

Place a piece of parchment paper over the top. Then cover tightly with a piece of aluminum foil.

Bake in a preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove the baked lasagna from the oven. Uncover both the aluminum wrap and the parchment paper. Sprinkle about 1-1½ cups of freshly grated mozzarella cheese over the top.

Place on the top oven grate and broil for a few minutes until bubbly and beginning to take color. 

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra grated cheese. 

Serve with your favorite Italian Salad and a side of zucchini sticks.

Tips

• Use a large pot of water to boil the lasagna noodles to prevent them from sticking together and breaking.
• When spreading the spinach ricotta filling, leave 1-1½ inches (area furthest from you) without any filling. As you begin to roll your lasagna noodles, the filling pushes forward and will cover this empty space. 

Can the lasagna roll-ups be frozen?

Yes. Place them on a cookie sheet that fits your freezer. Freeze for a couple of hours. Then, remove and place in a freezable container.  

Easy spinach recipes we love

• Sauteed Spinach
• Crustless Spinach Quiche
• Homemade Calzones
• Spinach Risotto
• Spinach Pomegranate Salad 
• White Bean and Spinach Soup

Recipe inspiration

Growing up Italian meant that I was surrounded by family traditions. Large family reunions to celebrate the holidays were the norm.

Another ritual was the traditional Sunday dinner that lasted the whole afternoon. Extended family members and friends were always at the table.

My mom would often make traditional baked pasta dishes, like cannelloni and layered lasagna, with homemade fresh egg pasta.

I was first introduced to this method of preparing lasagna by my friend Carlo, a professional chef with many years of experience.

Come and take a look at us making this recipe. Just click on the following link and be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel as we plan to share more wonderful recipes with all of you!

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria 

★★★★★ If you have made these baked lasagna roll ups , I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe