Whole Grain Pasta with Turkey and Spinach Ragu

This is a relatively new recipe for me but one that I am really loving. It is super healthy but still tastes hearty and delicious!


It makes great leftovers too! Enjoy!!




Ingredients:

3 cups whole grain pasta, such as Barilla or Ronzoni (use you favorite shape, I used bowties)
Cooking spray (such as PAM)
1lb extra lean ground turkey, 99% fat free
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 small onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 cup of chopped portabella mushrooms
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 bag of baby spinach
1 jar of favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large pot of water over medium high. Once it starts to boil, add some salt and the pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and spray generously with cooking spray.

Once pan is hot, add onion, bell pepper and saute for approximately 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey, garlic and Italian seasonings. Continue to saute until turkey is no longer pink and cooked through.

Add chopped mushrooms, spinach and sauce. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once pasta and turkey sauce are both cooked, combine and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Pasta and Sausage alla Lasagna

A while back I was cleaning out some closets when I came across a binder filled with cutouts of recipes from magazines I had tried or planned to try. While flipping through it, I found this recipe for "Pasta alla Lasagna". I had made this dish before but had completely forgotten about it. I was so excited to find it again because it's so good and easy (a Chef Mommy theme you might have noticed :)...perfect weeknight food the entire family will love!


Think of this hearty dish as lasagna without the assembly; it contains the same ingredients but is a lot easier to put together.


I love the ricotta mixture on the side! Perfect, built-in portion control!!


Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 days. Just be sure to store the ricotta mixture and sauced pasta separately.

Ingredients:
2 cups chunky pasta (I used rotini)
1 (2 1/2 ounce) sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup reduced-sodium marinara
1/2 part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 Italian parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Pepper

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions; drain and place in a serving bowl. Keep warm.

Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Drain off any fat and add sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan and pepper in a small bowl.

To assemble, toss the pasta with the sausage and sauce. Top each serving with a dollop of the ricotta mixture.

Makes 4 servings
Per Serving (1 cup pasta w/ sauce + 1 dollop of ricotta mixture)
258 Cal
8g Fat
323 mg. Sodium
3 g Fiber
13 g. Protein

Source: Weight Watchers Magazine

(Slow Cooker) Meatballs with Sauce

From meatball cupcakes to Crockpot meatballs....Enjoy (and sorry for the delay in posting. It's been a busy week!).

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
3/4 lb ground beef
1 sweet Italian sausage link (casing removed)
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten

Remaining Ingredients:
½ large onion, chopped
16 oz (2 cups) of your favorite homemade or store-bought marinara sauce

Directions:

Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl using your hands. Do not over mix. Roll the mixture into balls roughly the size of a golf ball.

Scatter the onion over the base of your slow cooker.

In a nonstick skillet on med-high heat, add the meatballs (but don't overcrowd) and cook for about 1 minute, until they sear slightly. Add your meatballs to the slow cooker. Pour the sauce evenly over the top, making sure to coat everything.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve with pasta, grated Parmesan and basil.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Have you ever been to a California Pizza Kitchen and had their signature BBQ Chicken pizza? Isn't it the best?? So, when I found this recipe online I had to try it!

How yummy is this...grilled chicken, gooey cheese, red onion and sweet BBQ sauce on a PIZZA. This recipe is a great copycat version but feel free to swap out the Parmesan for smoked Gouda which is on the original.


This BBQ sauce was perfect for the pizza. It has just the right amount of sweetness. I don't buy BBQ sauce that often but I easily found this one at my local Super Target.


Above: homemade BBQ chicken pizza
Below: CPK's original BBQ chicken pizza



Ingredients:

1 batch of pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grilled chicken strips, chopped
3/4 cup Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup red onion, sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and turn on to 475 degrees.
2. Roll out your pizza dough onto a pizza peel.
3. Pour the Sweet Baby Ray's over the top of the crust.
4. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the top of the sauce.
5. Then the chicken...
6. Then the onions...
7. Then the rest of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese.
8. Dot the top with a little bit more of the Sweet Baby Ray's.
9. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the underside of the crust is golden.
10. Sprinkle the cilantro over the top and enjoy.

Source: JamieCooksItUp

Homemade Bagel Bites

If you've got kids, chances are you probably have a box of Bagel Bites in your freezer right now. It's one of those quintessential foods, like frozen chicken nuggets, that all kids seem to love. I've never been a fan myself, but my kiddos will happily eat these puppies for lunch, snack or dinner.

I've been buying bags of mini bagels a lot lately and decided to make up a batch of homemade bagel bites for lunch earlier this week. Of course, this version is pretty easy to make and honestly tastes soooooo much better than the frozen kind...heck, I even had a few!

We ate all of ours, but you could easily freeze these before baking and then just add 2-4 additional minutes to the cooking time. See...almost like the ones from the box...only tastier!!



Ingredients:

6 mini bagels, split
4-6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced
4 oz pepperoni, chopped (I love the Hormel mini pepperoni)
1/2 cup pizza sauce, your favorite ( I used homemade)
1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with oil for easy clean-up. Place split bagels on baking sheet. Spoon pizza sauce on each half bagel. Top with cheese, pepperoni and add a pinch of Italian seasoning (if using). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and a little bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Source: Inspired by Bagel Bites

Classic Lasagna Rolls

If you've visited my blog before you might have noticed that I have a thing for lasagna rolls. While I love lasagna in it's traditional form, I think rolls are just more versatile for weeknight meals.

These rolls have a traditional meat sauce and ricotta/mozzarella cheese filling. I basically took my classic lasagna recipe and adjusted it a bit with terrific results!

When assembling the rolls, I like to leave about a one inch space on each end to make rolling them up a little easier.

For me the best thing about this recipe...besides the fact that they are delicious and everyone loves them...is that you can easily bake half now and freeze the other half for later. Which is exactly what I did. Six rolls were perfect for my family...2 per adult and one per child.

Lasagna rolls with a simple salad and garlic bread (recipe coming soon)= perfect family dinner.


Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
12 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 eggs
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package. Once cooked, lay them out in a single layer on wax paper.

In a skillet over medium heat season ground beef with the salt and pepper. Brown the meat and drain. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions soften, about 5-8 min. Then add the Spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, oregano and basil. Lower the heat to med-low and cook for 15 minutes.

Combine half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan and ricotta cheeses in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, parsley, salt and pepper, then mix until all ingredients are combined.

Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan with 1 cup of the meat sauce or just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay out a lasagna noodle and spoon about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture down the noodle. Top with 1/4 cup of meat sauce. Roll the lasagna noodle and place it seem side down in the pan. Continue with the rest of the rolls. Finish by topping with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*Make Ahead Directions: Prepare recipe as directed above but do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap first and then with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 2 months. Before cooking remove plastic wrap. You will need to allow additional baking time for refrigerated and frozen lasagna.

Source: Chef Mommy

Bow-tie Lasagna

When I first saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen (via Pioneer Woman), I bookmarked it right away. It looked like just the kind of dinner everyone in my family would eat, including my picky 2 year old.

I adapted the recipe a bit after reading through the list of ingredients and steps. The original recipe calls for 5 cups of uncooked pasta (approximately 1lb) but I thought this would be way too much pasta. I cut the pasta in half and it was the perfect amount. I also increased the amount of mozzarella and add Parmesan cheese because...well, because I love cheese. Finally, I sprinkled fresh parsley on top which is something I always add in my traditional lasagna recipe and it's also a nice garnish.

I served this up with a simple Caesar salad and dinner was done!

BTW, even though I only used half the pasta, this still made a huge amount. It was not a problem because we ate it for dinner the next night and leftovers were delish!!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
3 cups bow-tie noodles
3 cups spaghetti sauce (I used this homemade marinara)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or half basil/ half oregano)
3/4 cups mozzarella cheese
½ cups sour cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Directions:

Cook ground beef in a non-stick pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce. Add the ground beef and seasoning. In a small bowl combine the sour cream, mozzarella and Parmesan. Add to the pasta mixture and fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and additional Parmesan.

Source: Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Basic Marinara Sauce

I really must get a better picture of this sauce next time. The battery on my camera was quickly dying and I had two hungry kids tugging at me as soon as I got this off the stove.

Anyway, don't let the less than stellar picture fool you...this is a great basic marinara sauce. It is so versatile and I use it on all sorts of things; to top pasta, on pizza, as a dipping sauce, etc.

This recipe makes about 6.5 cups of sauce, which is a lot but it freezes beautifully. Just make sure to cool the sauce in the refrigerator first. Then once cool, transfer to heavy duty freezer bags and label. You could also easily half this recipe if you like.

One last tip: Be careful of the splattering sauce! Leave a lid on the pot but slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Otherwise you'll end up with blobs of sauce all over the counter!



INGREDIENTS
2 28 oz. cans (good quatliy) crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 medium bay leaves
1-2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

STEP 1: Cook onion and garlic in a large pot with 3 Tbsp of olive oil until very soft and slightly golden brown. I wanted to make a sweeter sauce which is why I let the onions and garlic caramelize a bit. If you don't like sweet sauces, proceed to the next step before they get any color on them.

STEP 2: Add the rest of the ingredients (crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, bay leaves, sugar and balsamic vinegar) to the pot. Simmer on medium/low for 45 minutes to an hour with lid partially on to prevent splattering.

STEP 3: Taste the sauce after a half hour or so and adjust spices and seasoning to your liking.

Source: Adapted from Budget Bytes

Pizza Margherita

Pizza, pizza, pizza...who doesn't love it, right? I know we sure do. It's probably the number one food enjoyed in my house. Like many American families we have pizza almost every week. So, I try to mix things up by making different types. This time of year, pizza margherita is in heavy rotation around here since we always have an abundance of fresh tomatoes and basil. If there is such a thing a summertime pizza, this is it!

Just a thin coating of the tomato sauce...too much here makes for a messy pizza.


Add the cheese and tomatoes on top. My husband actually prefers this without the fresh tomato slices, so feel free to omit.


Fresh out of the oven...how good does that look?


Mmmmmmmm....pizza!


Ingredients:

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough

1 14-ounce can peeled whole San Marzano (such as Cento or Muri Glen) tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
8 - 10oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced (optional)
large basil leaves, torn into pieces

Directions:

Set a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°, allowing at least 30 minutes for the stone to heat. Pulse the canned tomatoes in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Stir in the oregano and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sugar and season with salt and pepper.
On a lightly floured surface, stretch out ball of dough and transfer to a floured pizza peel, adding flour where the dough sticks. Brush olive oil all around the edge of the dough.

Spread the tomato sauce over the dough to within 1 inch of the edge. Lay the cheese slices over the pizza and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the fresh tomato slices on top of the cheese and slide the pizza onto the stone. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes. Scatter the basil on top and let stand for 3 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Food and Wine

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I love lasagna...but it always takes so long to make. After boiling the noodles, browning the meat, simmering the sauce, mixing up the cheeses, assembling it all, then baking, you are looking at about 2 hours of work. I don't know anyone who has that much time during the week to make dinner (I certainly don't). That is why these lasagna rolls from Gina appealed to me so much. After quickly glancing through the list of ingredients and directions, I knew this was very doable for a weekday dinner.

What I didn't expect was for these rolls to taste as good as they did. This recipe consists of just a few simple ingredients and I was afraid it would taste a little bland. However, this was not the case at all. It was really tasty, not to mention healthy (hello spinach!). Plus, since they are rolls, you have built in portion control and who doesn't love that?

Right out of the oven, all hot and gooey!


All you need is a simple side salad and you are good to go.


Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked (I only made/used 6)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

WW POINTS: 4 (1 roll)

Source: Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Pizza Sauce

My family loves pizza. I usually make it about 3-4 times a month and for the longest time, I was using jarred pizza sauce. To tell you the truth, I never really liked it. So one day, I decided to make my own sauce and since then I have not bought another jar from the grocery store.

This sauce is so easy to make. It only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. The hardest part is mincing the garlic...and we know that's not really hard. This recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups, which is just enough for two large pizza pies. I usually only make one pie at a time and freeze the remaining sauce for later use. However, if you need more sauce, just use a 28oz can of crushed tomatos and double the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients:
Makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce.

15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt or to taste

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat add the oil. Then add the garlic and cook till fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a gently boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15-18 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove from the heat and let cool.

Store extra sauce in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer.


Source: Chef Mommy's Kitchen

Lasagna

It seems like everyone has that tried and true basic lasagna recipe...here is mine. It's loosely based on the recipe that is on the back of the San Giorgio lasagna box. It's a classic lasagna, with ground beef, mozzarella and ricotta...no funky ingredients here. I've been making this version for years and it always comes out great.

I actually made it for dinner this week, but in general I leave lasagna making to the weekends when I have the time. My husband was not too happy about me making this on a Tuesday night...until he ate it of course. Then he was OK with the fact that dinner was over an hour late. It was worth the extra trouble for me b/c it also meant plenty of leftovers and less cooking the next day. Lasagna is one of my favorite leftover foods!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
12 lasagna noodles (I make 2-3 extra in case some break)
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (8 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package. Once cooked, lay them out in a single layer on wax paper.

In a skillet over medium heat season ground beef with the Italian seasoning. Brown the meat and drain. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions soften, about 5-8 min. Then add the Spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Lower the heat to med-low and cook for 15 minutes.

Combine mozzarella and ricotta cheeses in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, parsley, salt and pepper, then mix until all ingredients are combined.

Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan with 1 cup of the meat sauce or just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay 4 lasagna noodles in the pan with edges overlapping. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the noodles and cover with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce on top; repeat layering. Finish with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and some of the reserved mozzarella.

Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Make Ahead Directions: Prepare recipe as directed above but do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap first and then with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 2 months. Before cooking remove plastic wrap. You will need to allow additional baking time for refrigerated and frozen lasagna.

Source: San Girogio and Chef Mommy's Kitchen

Chicken Parmesan (Giada's recipe)

I love one pot (or pan in this case)dishes! Less stuff to clean up afterwards is always a very good thing. The other great thing about this classic from Giada,is that it tastes a little lighter than traditional chicken Parmesan recipes that are dipped in egg and breaded.

This dish works well for a weeknight meal. Just be sure to check that your cookware is safe for high oven temps. I use Calphalon Tri-ply stainless steel, which are oven safe up to 500 degrees. If your cookware isn't rate for high oven temps, you can always transfer the chicken to a baking dish after cooking it on the skillet.

Click HERE to see video of this dish.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 (3-ounces each) chicken cutlets
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce,homemade or purchased marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
16 teaspoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Stir the oil and herbs in a small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of the cutlets with the herb oil. Heat a heavy large oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add the cutlets and cook just until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Spoon the marinara sauce over and around the cutlets. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of mozzarella over each cutlet, then sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Parmesan over each. Sprinkle the butter pieces atop the cutlets. Bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Hawaiian Pizza

A couple of weeks ago, when we were at Wegman's for the Paula Deen book signing, my son had Hawaiian pizza for the first time and LOVED it! I wasn't surprised since he is a huge fan of pizza (what kid isn't?)and also likes ham and pineapple. So, the combination was a big hit with him and I was happy to replace his usual (greasy) topping of pepperoni with something a bit healthier (lean ham and pineapples). I told him we could make this at home too and he was one happy camper.

I had intended this to be totally from scratch, so the night before I made the pizza dough (recipe below)but I never got a chance to make the homemade pizza sauce. Instead I just used a good quality jarred pasta sauce and pureed it for a smoother texture. The pizza dough was make with both regular and whole wheat flour. It would normally yield enough for a large pie. However, I divided into four equal parts to make individual size pizzas...a very kid friendly size!

My son had so much fun making the pizza and was so proud of himself for doing all the assembly. Needless to say, he also loved how it tasted and quickly ate it all up!

Crucial to any kid's cooking project...all the ingredients and tools are at hand!

Step 1: roll out the dough

Step 2: spread on sauce

Step 3: add toppings

Step 4: top with cheese


The finished product!

And the best part...eating it of course :)


Ingredients
pizza dough (either store bought or homemade)*Click HERE for the recipe **see note below**
pizza or marinara sauce (either store bought or homemade)
mozzarella cheese, shredded
lean, low-sodium ham, diced
fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
Italian seasoning, dried
olive oil

**The pizza dough recipe calls for 2 cups of bread flour. When I did this it left my dough still too sticky, so I added another 3/4 of flour (whole wheat this time) and it was perfect**
Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
Start by dividing the pizza dough into four equal parts (about the size of a tennis ball each). Then on a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough, till it is about 1/3 inch thick. Then roll about 1/2 inch of dough to form the outer crust. Transfer the rolled out dough to a cookie sheet. Lightly brush entire pizza dough with oil and spread sauce so all of the surface is evenly covered.
Add the topping and sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese. Add a small amount of Italian seasoning on top. Place prepared pizzas in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and it looks hot and bubbly.

Veggie Lasagna Rolls

Yesterday, was my son's first day back to preschool. For me, the first day of school is always a special day and I wanted to make a special dinner to celebrate.

I decided I'd make a lasagna. I love lasagna and so does the rest of my family. However, I didn't want to be slaving away in the kitchen trying to assemble and cook everything. After all, this is my son's first year going to school full day and I wanted to spend some quality time with him, hearing all about it.

That's why I decided to make lasagna rolls instead. The recipe comes from the cookbook, Kissing in the Kitchen by Kevin Roberts. I love this recipe b/c it doesn't have a gazillion ingredients and steps. Also, I kept this pretty healthy by using part-skim cheeses and including lots of different veggies in the mix.

The best part was that I got the entire lasagna assembled while my son was at school and my daughter napped. When it was time for dinner, I just pulled it from the fridge and placed it in the oven.

I would make just one minor change next time. I think some homemade or good quality jarred tomato sauce would be great in this dish. However, since I didn't have either, I just used a can of plain tomato sauce. This was still very good though...enjoy!

Before: All assembled and ready for the fridge.

After: Just out of the oven...all hot and bubbly.



Ingredients
5 servings

1 egg
1 pound ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese (divided use) (I used 2% mozzarella)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mixed zucchini and spinach, finely chopped, seasoned and sauteed (I used a mix of broccoli, mushroom, zucchini and carrot)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Garlic salt and pepper, to taste
10 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 cups tomato sauce (divided use)

Directions
I started by finely chopping all the veggies in a food processor. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine egg, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, vegetables and parsley, and mix well. Season with garlic salt and pepper, tasting a little to adjust seasoning.
Lay cooked lasagna noodles out on the counter. Spread a thin layer of the vegetable and cheese mixture evenly over the entire noodle. Repeat with all the noodles. Starting at one end, roll up each noodle. In a 9-by-9-inch baking dish, evenly spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Lay the rolls in the dish, seam side down.
Pour the remaining tomato sauce on top of the rolls and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. (or until hot and bubbly)