What’s better than lasagna? Lasagna rolled up and filled with extra stuff, that’s what. Lasagna roll-ups.
Typical recipes make me bored. So I asked myself, why make a boring lasagna casserole when you can roll those bad boys up and stuff them with a filling so hearty that the dish goes a longer way? I like to go against the grain and experiment, so rather than simply rolling them up with the typical ricotta mixture, I ventured to add some greens and meat to make it a truly well-rounded comfort meal.
Photo Credit: Alexander Foley
The thing about cheesy pasta dishes is that it is really easy to stray away from the measurements listed and just dump in the amount that looks right. I am so guilty of being like, ‘you know what? I am feeling really cheesy today,’ *dumps in more mozzarella*… eyeballing until the texture works for my mood, rather than measuring. Necessary? Not always. But hey, nobody’s perfect.
My suggestion would be to at least start with the measurements listed for the filling and only add after you’ve got everything mixed together. The spinach and chicken take up a lot of extra space and you may find yourself wanting more ricotta or egg to make it have more of that pasty texture. It’s OK to add a small amount if it looks a bit dry, just don’t forget that the shredded Parmesan and mozzarella will melt during the bake so you may not need as much extra moisture as you think.
Photo Credit: Alexander Foley
The lasagna roll-up process is really quite easy if your mixture has the right consistency and your noodles are drained and dried. If you try to stuff and roll before letting the noodles dry, the mixture won’t stick very well and the rolls will slide around rather than staying in their tubular form.
To ensure ultimate stickiness, boil your noodles before creating your mixture so that if you’re rushed for time, they are able to rid themselves of excess water. I found that laying them on a piece of wax or parchment paper with a light spray of cooking oil works well. If you don’t have either, a baking sheet works too.
Photo Credit: Alexander Foley
Before rolling your noodles, put a thin layer of your sauce of choice on the bottom of your baking dish. This will help keep the rolls from cooking onto the dish (messy clean up later). I made two sauces this time (like I said, I don’t like boring and I have a hard time making up my mind when it comes to food), a marinara and an Alfredo. Marinara, of course, goes well with this meal as it is the standard sauce used for lasagna. But I have to be honest that the Alfredo was the real winner this time around. It blended really well with the chicken and spinach. Jarred sauce is fine but I highly recommend making your own if you’ve got the time. Recipes to come later!
Photo Credit: Alexander Foley
When you’re ready to roll, put 2-3 spoonfuls of the stuffing on a noodle and use your fingers to spread it out evenly. Try to avoid having too many large chunks of chicken in the same area or the roll-up won’t be even. Also, be careful not to tug too hard on the noodles as you spread the mixture as you don’t want any tears.
Place each roll seam-side down to keep it sealed. Be sure to leave the slightest bit of wiggle room between each roll-up as they will expand a little more during the bake. Fortunately, the pasta and the chicken has already been cooked so the roll-up will be pretty true to its final size. However, you can expect them to saddle up on one another with the addition of the sauce as the noodle will absorb some of the moisture.
After you’ve filled your baking dish, top each roll with 1-2 spoonfuls of sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan. It isn’t necessary to fully submerge the roll in sauce like you would in a lasagna casserole. Keep some extra sauce to use after the bake if you feel you may want more.
Because of the chicken and spinach addition, you almost don’t even need to eat this with anything but, perhaps, a nice piece of bread to soak up extra sauce!
Photo Credit: Alexander Foley
Chicken & Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella (low moisture, if available)
1/2 cup fresh shredded parmesan
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 1/2 cup chicken, shredded*
1 box lasagna noodles
1 egg, whisked
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Sauce of choice
Steps
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Boil the lasagna noodles in salted water as per the instructions on the box. Usually about 8 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water.
- Lightly prepare a piece of wax or parchment paper, or a baking sheet, with cooking spray. Lay each noodle on the sheet to dry.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute garlic until fragrant.
- Mix ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, egg, salt, pepper and spinach (thawed and drained) in a large mixing bowl. Add shredded chicken* and mix well.
- Put a thin layer of your sauce of choice on the bottom of your baking dish.
- Spread 2-3 spoonfuls of the cheese mixture onto each lasagna noodle. Spread the mixture evenly using your fingers, leaving a small amount of empty space on the end for overflow.
- Place each lasagna roll-up seam-side down in your baking dish.
- Top each roll with 1-2 spoonfuls of sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake for 30 minutes covered. Remove lid or tin foil and bake uncovered for another 10.
*I find that the most efficient way to cook and shred chicken is by poaching until cooked through and shredding with two forks. A rotisserie chicken would be fine if you are short on time.
Hi Katie! This looks absolutely delicious, I can’t wait to try it 🙂 We would love to have you share this over at this week’s Dishing It and Digging It party! Please feel free to join http://www.angiethefreckledrose.com/dishing-it-digging-it-132/
This looks totally amazing. I definitely want to try it…yum!
Yes, please! These look absolutely delicious. I love that you incorporated a healthy, green like spinach into a filling lasagna roll-up. I’ll be making these soon!
Ooh have never thought to do roll ups before! These look delicious.
Sophie | MapleTreeBlog
I’m a sucker anything rolled up…and this is no exception!
Looks good, but as an Italian I just love the classic, “boring”, old lasagna! ;))
Wow! It looks so tasty! Such a great idea for lunch. I’ll definitely try it out 🙂 x
Wow, it looks delicious and so easy to make! Pinning this for later 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
what a delicious recipe!!!! I cannot wait to try this!!!
This is a lasagna recipe I’m definitely making ASAP! I love that you used chicken and spinach to make it healthier. Absolutely a delicious recipe Katie. Thanks for the share. xx
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Oooh these look delicious! Anything with pasta and cheese is good in my books…but this particular recipe looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
OMG! This looks so delicious! I’m a sucker for lasagna! Can’t wait to try making this! 🙂
xo, Chloe // http://funinthecloset.com/state-mind-wearing-tie-dye/
I love lasagna – used to go crazy eating it as a kid haha
These look good. I do a version without the chicken. I will try these too.
Yum! These look so good, and spinach is actually one veggie I can get my anti-veg hub to eat. Thanks for sharing!
This looks sooo good. I usually get frozen spinach ricotta lasagna because I don’t know how to cook them … I think I will try your recipe!
Love these! What a fun way to use lasagna noodles.
Ahahaha I totally get getting carried away with cheese. I sometimes look at something I’m preparing and think: hmmmm needs more cheese so I almost always end up with something way cheesier (not saying it’s bad thing!) This looks amazing.
Lol! Story of my life! Gimme all the cheeeese
Looks so, so delicious. I don’t know why I haven’t done lasagna this way before. Seems easier!
As soon as I’m done with my detox I’m so making these!
Oh, my goodness! These look absolutely delicious. My hubby does a version of this, but not with chicken. He started rolling our lasagna dishes way back when we first got married. He gets bored with plain out standard recipes, as well. Great recipe! Pinning for later! Thanks for sharing!
I love pasta and I’m always happy to find new recipes! Love the spin on lasagne here.
Yum! I love spinach in my pasta, I am sure I will love this!
so going to try this 🙂
Nothing is better than lasagna 😀 These looks so good! Definitely pinning for later!
These look sooo delish! Tentatively adding them to the menu for a party I’m throwing next month!
You should! They’re super convenient for feeding groups because the rolls are easier to serve than traditional lasagna!
Adding chicken to the traditional Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups is such a great idea! I bet it adds a whole new flavor. I’m definitely going to try these!
Oh I love making lasagna roll ups and this version looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try them.
Ooh these look delicious, I love a good twist on a classic dish and really like how you stuffed the lasagna rolls with chicken and spinach rather than ragu!
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These were amazing. Thank you for sending over the love through your cooking ❤
So happy you enjoyed them! <3
These look absolutely delicious! Pinning to pinterest!
These look amazing! I have a bunch of leftover lasagna noodles I need to use up, but I didn’t want to make regular lasagnas again. This should work perfectly! Thanks for sharing!
God I am so hungry. These blogs are making my mouth water. Love this recipe!
I could go for a plate of these right this moment…droooool!
This looks so good even my son would love it!!
I love lasagna rolls! These look so delicious, spinach is one of my favorite things to add in lasagna. And the rolls make it easy to freeze portions for fast dinners! Yum!!
This looks so yummy I must definitively try it. I have saved the recipes 😀
These sound so good! Such a neat way to serve lasagna. I’m guessing it’s less messy, too.
This looks amazing. I don’t eat pasta often but this sure makes me want to cook some up.