Lasagna Rolls

From Cook This, Not That!, I tried these little, mini lasagna rolls. SO CUTE!! These were SO much easier and faster to make than traditional lasagna. According to the cookbook, these were fashioned after the Olive Garden's Lasagna Rollata al Forno, which has 1, 170 calories and 68 g fat!!! YIKES!! But these have only 380 calories and 11 g fat. MUCH BETTER!!

Ingredients
15 lasagna noodles 
extra virgin olive oil 
salt
6 Italian-style turkey sausages, casing removed
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
15 oz. container of low-fat ricotta cheese 
3/4 cup low-fat Parmesan cheese 
1 rounded Tbs. oregano 
1 rounded Tbs. basil 
~36 oz. marinara or pasta sauce 
1 bag shredded, 
low-fat mozzarella cheese

In a large pot, boil noodles with a little oil and salt for ~8-9 minutes, strain, shock with cold water, toss lightly with oil so they won't stick, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and basil and set aside.

In a large saucepan, brown sausage, crumbling into little bits as it browns. Add spinach, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly until spinach is warm (~2 minutes). Let cool slightly, then fold into the cheeses and spices in the mixing bowl until well blended.

Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Lay out the noodles on a cutting board and cut them in half cross-wise. Put a spoonful of the sausage-cheese mixture at one end of a noodle, then carefully roll up. Lay seam-side down into the cooking dish. These should make three rows of about 10. 

Cover with remaining marinara sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella, and top off with ~1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese and sauce are bubbling.

Now, I personally believe that you cannot call it lasagna until you add Parmesan cheese, oregano, and basil, which were NOT in the Cook This, Not That! recipe. However, I used low-fat Parmesan cheese, so not many more calories and fat grams were added. My mom chooses to use ground beef instead of Italian sausage in her version. As always, make it your own and enjoy!! 

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