Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna Pasta Roll-ups

November 6, 2016 Laura

This is a recipe we’ve been making since the beginning of SPC. In fact, you can see a very young Scarlett making her first roll-ups here. This is the big girl version of the dish we love as a family. For this incarnation, we blend the spinach right into the ricotta mixture giving the dish the nutritional boost of the veggie without the “what’s this green leaf doing in my pasta” reaction. And we are big fans of the artichoke hearts addition. However, you can omit those if they’re not your favourite or you don’t have them handy. We make this bubbly baked dish of food comfort both ways. In other words, you can’t go wrong with this recipe. And by can’t go wrong we mean you win the dinner lottery.

Photos by Maya Visnyei

Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups

Ingredients

For the tomato sauce
4 tsp olive oil
2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28 oz) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
For the roll-ups
1 box (13.25 oz) lasagne sheets, fresh, pre-cooked or cooked
2 cups fresh baby spinach
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 to 1 (6 oz) jar of artichoke hearts, drained
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup grated Fonina cheese, divided
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Method

For the sauce:

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the onions are softened. Add the tomatoes with their juice, breaking tomatoes up with the back of a spoon. Stir in tomato paste, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley. If the sauce tastes too acidic, you can add 1/2 tsp sugar. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. If you prefer a smooth sauce, process it in batches in a food processor.

This recipe makes enough sauce for this dish as well as another dinner. Let's give a hooray for a double batch!

For the roll-ups:

Preheat the oven to 350. Ladle a thin layer of sauce across the bottom of a 9' x 13' inch baking dish.

In a food processor, add spinach, ricotta, parmesan, artichoke, egg and salt and process until you have a creamy mixture.

Create a rolling station by laying your noodles out on a flat surface (a cutting board or baking sheet lined with parchment) and mix the Fontina and mozzarella in a bowl. Take a heaping Tbsp of ricotta mixture and create a thin, even layer across the entire lasagna noodle. Sprinkle with a bit of Fontina and mozzarella mix. Gently roll up the noodle from one end to the other. Place the roll-up seam side down in the prepared baking dish and repeat until all the lasagna noodles are filled.

Pour more tomato sauce over the tops of the lasagna roll-ups. Sprinkle with remaining Fontina and mozzarella mix.

Loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil, then bake for another 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley if desired.

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