Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

My internet friends had been talking about making these spinach lasagna roll ups for quite some time now instead of making regular lasagna. After hearing about how good they were so many times, I decided to try out the recipe myself and make these up the weekend before we left for Florida.

I didn't even think to look for a recipe, I just went with the typical ingredients that would go in a lasagna, added spinach and just rolled up the lasagna noodles with the ingredients inside, instead of layering them together.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
Source: A Cookaholic Wife Creation
Servings: 3-4
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Ingredients:

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 8 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flaked
• 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained 
• 28 oz. jar marinara sauce 
• extra mozzarella for topping

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles until al dente. They need to be soft enough that you can roll them up, but not fully cooked because they'll fall apart.
2. In a large bowl, add the ricotta, egg, mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic powder and crushed red pepper. Stir well until combined, then fold in the spinach.
3. Place cooked lasagna noodles flat on a baking sheet. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture down the center of each noodle then drizzle with 1 - 1 ½ teaspoons of the marinara sauce.
4. To freeze, pour ¼ cup of marinara sauce into a freezeable dish. I used the small foil loaf pans. Roll up each lasagna noodle and place tightly next to each other in the dish. Top with 1-2 tablespoons of sauce to just cover them. Add a pinch of mozzarella cheese, cover with foil (or a lid) and freeze.
5. To bake, pour ¼ to ½ cup of marinara sauce into a baking dish (just enough to coat the bottom) and place lasagna rolls on top. Drizzle with additional marinara sauce to cover and top each lasagna roll with a pinch of mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

To bake from frozen, let thaw completely in the refrigerator (at least 12 hours) and bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I went light on the marinara sauce on these which made them a little bit dryer than I preferred, however, for a relatively quick meal and something that can easily be frozen and pulled out the freezer in the morning for dinner that evening, these are pretty good! I'd like to experiment with the recipe some more, adding different ingredients into the lasagna.