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The hubby and I used to throw a big holiday party the first weekend in December; this went on easily for 15 years. In 2013, I spent the year battling breast cancer and had my first reconstruction surgery on November 1st of that year. Even though I had in my head that we would still have our party, we did not. My dad passed away in early 2014, he loved Christmas and with my mom, attended many of our holiday parties. When the holidays rolled around last year, I still wasn’t ready to host it.
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This year, I decided to invite a few friends over, along with their kids, and we even got dressed up a little bit. One of the dishes I served was these Mini Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups –they are ideal for kids and adults! We served cocktails and appetizers while the kids decorated cookies, ran around outside, and watched the movie “Elf”. It was perfect. It was our Holiday Party Redux. It will happen again next year.
You can see pictures of the step by step instruction to assemble these tasty bites here on Tablespoon.com.
- 8 Lasagna noodles, cooked
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 (15 ounce) can pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Salt and pepper, if desired
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a medium bowl combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, and Italian seasonings. Add salt and pepper if desired.
- Pat noodles dry with a paper towel and lay them on parchment or wax paper. Cut each noodle in half widthwise. Fill each noodle with 2-3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture, leaving an inch empty on one side of the noodle. Start rolling each noodle up, ending on the side that has one inch empty. This is so that the filling doesn't spill out the end.
- Slice each noodle in half with a sharp knife and place roll seam side down in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure you have a dish that has a 1-2 inch edge so you can cover it with foil later and not mess up the rolls. If you like your pasta with crispy edges, no need to cover it.
- Place 1 teaspoon of pizza sauce on top of each roll and top each with a teaspoon of mozzarella.
- Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cheese is melted inside. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.
- Freezer instructions: Prepare as directed above but freeze right before baking. Reheat by baking for 25-30 minutes at 350ºF. Or for a quick snack, freeze after baked and pop one in the microwave any time you want a little bite!
