ResHall Recipes: Lasagna rolls

By SARAH NAYLOR

I love to plan and prepare meals for my family and for my boyfriend, but I’ll be honest – I’m not much of a cook. Instead of cooking, I love to bake anything and everything, so I am always on the lookout for new baking recipes to try. Some of the kitchen items I use the most in my baking are muffin tins, and it turns out that the humble muffin tin is good for so much more than baking your usual muffins and cupcakes. In fact, you can use them to make a variety of breakfast or dinner treats, including these lasagna rolls. This recipe comes from Matt Kadey’s book “Muffin Tin Chef” and is so fun and easy to make. Plus, they are much lower in fat and calories than more traditional versions of the recipes. You can also add other ingredients if you want, such as meat, vegetables or mushrooms to make the dish more versatile. I loved making this Italian meal, but not as much as my family enjoyed eating it.

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Ingredients (Serves Six):

• 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 2 cups store-bought pasta sauce (or homemade, if you prefer)
• 1 ½ cups reduced-fat ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces chopped spinach (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
• Salt
• Torn fresh basil, to serve
• Grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Directions:

In a large pot of water, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to do this in batches. Divide half of the pasta sauce among six jumbo muffin cups (if you don’t have jumbo size, you can just make smaller lasagna rolls in regular size muffin cups).

Lay the noodles on a flat work surface and spread the ricotta cheese over each one. Top the ricotta with the spinach, and tightly roll the noodles. Slice each roll in half and stuff three lasagna rounds into each of six jumbo muffin cups with the cut sides up. Sprinkle the tops with a dash of salt. Top with the remaining sauce and the mozzarella cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding. As they cool, the lasagna rolls will meld together. To unmold, run a butter knife around the edges, place a flat object such as a cutting board on top of the rim and turn upside down. If desired, serve with torn fresh basil, grated Parmesan cheese and/or additional pasta sauce.

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