Lasagna Rolls

I absolutely love this recipe. It freezes very well (and as I'm typing that sentence, I am quite upset I didn't think of freezing a pan, cause I usually do). It's my go-to for taking food to people, like for when someone is in the hospital and you take food to the family. And it's super delicious.

It is a few more steps than most recipes I make, but it's worth it.

This is going to be a rare recipe for this page in the fact that there really isn't much local food here. The milk and the egg is local. Everything else is from the grocery store. I don't do that much, but it does happen.

Lots of full fat cheeses here. See my note about fat.

Ingredients

• 2 tblsp butter
• 4 tsp flour
• 1.25 c milk
• salt & pepper
• pinch nutmeg
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 bunch spinach (you can use canned or frozen. I think fresh has an extra bite to it. I find canned & frozen to be a little soggy. But have used it in a pinch.)
• 1 c + 2 tblsp Parmesan
• 1/4 lb. prosciutto (Italian ham; get it from the meat deli, sliced thin)
• 1 egg
• lasagna noodles
• 2 c marinera sauce
• 1 c mozzarella
• broccoli
• lemons
• bread
• garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil

 Melt 2 tblsp butter on med-low heat.

 Add 4 tsp. flour.

Stir and cook about 3 min. (for you foodies, you are making a bechamel sauce)

Add 1.25 c milk

Increase heat to med-high and wisk for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Set the sauce aside.

Add lasagna noodles to boiling water. They will boil about 7-9 minutes. But you will add spinach for the last 2 minutes (after 5 minutes of the noodles boiling). So get the spinach ready.

Cut and clean your spinach. See my note on cleaning spinach. Rinsing with ice is a great trick.

Add the spinach to the pot of water with the noodles after they have been cooking for about 5 minutes. This just means one less pot to clean.

Let the spinach boil about 2-3 minutes. Drain.

Lay the noodles out so they don't stick together. This isn't the most sophisticated method that I have, but it works.

Make the filling. (That's Ryan's hand stealing a piece of prosciutto).

Whisk 1 egg.

Chop the prosciutto.

To the egg, add 15 oz. ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, pinch of salt (you don't need much because the parm and the prosciutto is salty). Mix everything together.

Spread the flour and milk sauce in the bottom of a casserole pan.

Lay your noodles out. I laid them on a cutting board.

Put a spoonful of filling on one noodle. Spread the filling, roll the noodle, put them in the prepared pan with the white sauce.

Continue until you are out of filling.

This is homemade marinara sauce that I froze. Marinara freezes great, so when I make it, I make tons and freeze it.

Top the rolls with the marinara sauce.

I bought the little cherry size mozzarella balls. I have never used these for this recipe before, but I liked it! I usually buy the big mozzarella ball and grate. But this was on sale and a lot cheaper per ounce. I loved using them and think it turned out cute!

Just put one ball of cheese on each roll.

I wasn't paying attention (have you noticed I say that a lot?) and bought the finely grated Parmesan. I do not like that cut at all. I prefer the shaved cut by about 1,000 times. But whatever. Top with parm.

Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil, 10 more minutes. Turn on broiler, 3 more minutes (to slightly brown the cheese, skip that step if you don't like that). While it's cooking, get the broccoli & bread ready.

 Chop your broccoli.

Put on a cookie sheet. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons, drizzle olive oil, salt (I used coarse sea salt), stir. They will take about 20 minutes. So add to the oven after the rolls have been in for 10 minutes.

 After the rolls have been in the oven for 20 minutes (the broccoli has been in for 10 minutes), remove the foil from the rolls. Stir the broccoli. Cook everything for 10 more minutes.

Cut your bread, top with butter and garlic powder.

When the broccoli has about 3 minutes left, add the bread to the broccoli cookie sheet.

 Remove the broccoli from the oven. Turn on the broiler. Broil the rolls for about 3 minutes to slightly brown the top.

I top mine with crushed red pepper because I love spicy.

I had some extra noodles and some extra sauce. Of course I saved everything (cause that's what I do) and will probably eat that as a quick lunch one day soon.