Lasagna Roll Ups

This is a very versatile recipe - any favorite veggies can be added/substituted. I added Italian sausage to the dish, but it can be made without meat as well. I didn't have time to make my own sauce when I made this the first time, so I used Ragu sauce (with a 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained, mixed in) and it worked perfectly! If you are into freezer cooking, this recipe could easily be doubled so you can bake one and freeze the other for a meal later in the month.

Ingredients:

10-12 lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat noodles for more nutrition)

2 tsp canola oil or olive oil

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 small bell pepper, diced

1/2 lb Italian sausage, cooked

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

4 cups marinara sauce - recipe below (or store bought marinara/spaghetti sauce can be used)

1 (15 oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese

1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 egg, beaten lightly

1 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2/3 - 1 cup of park-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles al dente according to the package directions. Drain them and spread on foil or waxed paper to prevent sticking. (I lightly sprayed foil with cooking spray to make sure they didn't stick.)

Heat oil in a large saute pan; add chopped veggies and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). In a separate pan, cook the italian sausage and drain excess grease.

**If you like chunky veggies and meat in your lasagna, then this next step is not necessary, but I have some of my family members don't like chunks of meat/veggies so I mince them. It also works well to "hide" the veggies if you're trying to sneak in the vitamins. :) I added the drained meat and veggies to the food processor and pulsed to finely chop the ingredients. Add about 1 cup of marinara sauce to the mixture to smooth it out. If you like larger pieces of meat and vegetables, then simply stir together the veggies, meat and 1 cup of sauce.

In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish.

To assemble the rolls, spread about 2 tbsp of the ricotta cheese and spinach mixture onto a lasagna noodle. Top with about 2-3 tbsp of the meat/veggie mixture. Roll the noodle and place in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Spread the remaining sauce over the roll ups. Sprinkle the shredded cheeses over the top.

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 15 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Variations: Spinach and mushroom rollups, Eggplant and zucchini roll ups

Marinara Sauce

1 tbsp canola oil or olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

Salt/pepper to taste

In a pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving.