spinach and red pepper lasagna rolls

about 1-2 tbl olive oil
bag or spinach, i used one of those ready washed,you can also use a box of frozen
1 red pepper chopped small (tonight i used some roasted peppers)
2 cloves garlic minced
small container of ricotta cheese
handful of parm cheese
lasagna noodles
tomato sauce

spinach is one of my all time favorite vegetables. i love it in soups, sauteed in garlic, in quiches, in pasta dishes, in just about everything basically. my kid’s, well, they don’t like it as much. i have to hide it in things.

many moons ago a roommate in college showed me how to make sauce, it has turned into a staple in my house as well as her spinach lasagna. i remember the day because it was the first meal i ever cooked for my mom. she was impressed. i have to say, it was good. over the years i am pretty sure i forgot her exact method but thanks to her this lasagna has turned into one of my favorite dishes. one of the greatest things she taught me about this dish, how to make these in rolls…we would make the rolls and freeze them in foil. in the morning we would take them out and by the time we got home from the darkroom they would be ready to throw in the oven with some sauce and cheese. the memories make me smile. i remember our whole freezer being taken up by lasagna rolls.

so anyway, enough of my walk down memory lane. i ran to the local grocer quickly today to grab some coffee and some ice cream for j on the way home from a sports class. i just happened to be walking down the aisle and looked over to see a jar of strained organic tomatoes. my heart started racing, i was so excited. i couldn’t wait to get home and start making some sauce.

spinach and red pepper lasagna rolls

this is not so much as a recipe tonight but as how to…i don’t exactly measure, i just throw it all together.
i like to make my sauce first, only because it takes the longest to cook. you don’t need to make your own sauce, i just prefer to do so. a jar of sauce works just fine.
set a pot of water on your stove top, bring to a boil and cook your noodles. i have used oven ready noodles for this and it works beautifully. just put some sauce on the bottom of a oven proof casserole and start layering. i don’t fully cook my noodles, basically because they fall apart and i tend to work on the quick side, i cook just enough that the noodles are pliable and easy to roll.
for the spinach, pepper & cheese mixture: in a saucepan, heat up some olive oil and add your red pepper and cook for about 5 minutes ( i used some roasted peppers tonight so i cooked the spinach first then added the pepper), add your spinach and garlic, when spinach is wilted, turn off your flame and add your ricotta cheese, sometimes i add a little creme fraiche. tonight i did:-) a little parm, salt and pepper and give it a mix.if you want to make a layered lasagna start with your sauce, add noodle, filling and repeat. top it with sauce and fresh mozzarella.tonight i made rolls, i just felt nostalgic. i ladled some sauce on the bottom of an oven proof casserole. laid a noodle on a cutting board, spooned some of the spinach, pepper and cheese mix and rolled. placed in the sauce, and continued with the rest. cover with your sauce, some fresh mozzarella and fresh parm. bake covered for about 10 minutes, uncover and cook for about 20 or until cheese is melted and browning on top.