Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

I realized this week that I receive six food themed magazines each month... and then I bought another one while waiting in line at the grocery store.  Shortly there after I realized I have not made a recipe out of any of those magazines in the last two months!  Why do I have all of these then?!  So I thought I would go through them and try to find some recipes that seemed like something Nick and I would enjoy and make those.  Today's experiment was Lasagna Roll-Ups that I found in Rachael Ray's magazine.  They were actually written in their "Kids in the Kitchen" section but they looked so yummy that I thought I would make them!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly because I knew that Nick and I would like it with sausage and I added a little extra spinach to keep it healthy :)  It was fantastic.  Though I'm not sure that it is actually any easier than preparing traditional lasagna but it was pretty cool looking and definitely something different.

The flavor was great and it made a pretty big portion so there were plenty of leftovers.  I'll definitely let this recipe stick around for a while. Plus it was pretty fun to make; I know the recipe is for kids but this 29 year old had a great time! :)

Spinach Lasagna Roll-up Recipe

Ingredients
yields 4 servings
8 lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente and cooled
8 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 15 oz container ricotta
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
4 sticks of string cheese, cut in half
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 lbs Italian sausage (hot or sweet, your choice)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the noodles and place in a bowl of cool water until ready to use them.

2) Drain the spinach well and squeeze out all of the moisture.  In a food processor add in the spinach, ricotta, egg, Parmesan, and 1/4 t. each salt and pepper.  Pulse until smooth.

3) In a 9-inch square baking dish pour half of the sauce into the bottom.

4) Lay the noodles out flat and spread the ricotta mixture evenly along each noodle.  Place a piece of string each on the end and roll up around the cheese.  Slice each roll in half and place cut side down into the baking dish of marinara.

5) Cover dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese melts.

6) Cook sausage in a saucepan, crumbling it as it cooks.  Add in remaining sauce and heat until warm.  Put sauce on a plate and then place the roll-ups on top.

Adapted from Rachael Ray's Pasta Pinwheels: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/pasta-pinwheels/

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