Lasagna Roll-ups

These were a fun take on regular ol' lasagna. The original is meatless, but I like some meat and onion in my lasagna so I added those of course. I thought it was a little dry with just the one jar of spaghetti sauce with my additions, so next time I will use 2 jars! It really was good and the whole family enjoyed a hearty, nutritious meal.

Lasagna Roll-ups
adapted from CJane 


10 lasagna noodles, cooked and dried
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce *I think 2 is needed if doing meat lasagna, 1 was too dry
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1 lb ground beef *optional
1/2 cup onion *optional
2 cloves garlic *optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown ground beef, add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Pour 1 jar of sauce into ground beef mixture and mix evenly. Set aside.* Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. 

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Then spread a layer of the spaghetti sauce/ground beef mixture on top of the cheese. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

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

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

  

This is from none other than The Pioneer Woman. She doesn't do casserole type things very often, but when she does, they are always amazing. I really enjoyed this one. It is SO super easy and delish! I made a couple changes based on the comments she received, and I loved how it turned out.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 1/4 pound ground beef

1 can 15-ounces tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces, weight egg noodles

1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/4 cup cottage cheese, small curd

1/2 cup green onion, sliced 

1 small can diced black olives

1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. (While browning ground beef, you can begin to boil your water for the egg noodles.) After ground beef is browned, drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/4 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Now stir in your green onions and diced olives. Add to noodles and stir until noodles are coated evenly.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Crockpot Lasagna

I saw this recipe for a crockpot lasagna at Gourmified and I couldn't believe it, I had to try it out. It turned out even better than I thought it would, and no one will even know it is loaded with veggies! My family gobbled this right up and we enjoyed the leftovers. It was so easy, just throw it in the pot and done in 3 hours! You can really play around with this recipe and make it your own. I added veggies and a few other spices, and next time I think I'll cook some ground beef and onions and throw that in there as well. You can't go wrong!

Crockpot Lasagna
adapted from Gourmified via Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah.com

3 cans (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes *you could easily use your favorite red pasta sauce and wouldn't need the extra seasonings below 
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T dried oregano *I do not like oregano so I only used 1/4-1/2 tsp ground oregano
2 tsp dried basil 
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta *I used one container and it was perfect for our taste. For a healthier option go with one container!
2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
12 lasagna noodles *I did not use an entire box, maybe just half of a box. I forgot to count! Use at least 9 or so, to absorb some of the liquid so it doesn't get watery!
4-5 cups baby spinach
1 medium zucchini chopped 
1/2 onion chopped
1 lb pre-cooked ground beef  *optional

If desired, pre-cook your ground beef with the 1/2 onion, season with salt and pepper. Drain the extra fat and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, red pepper and black pepper. Add in the zucchini, onion, and ground beef. Mix until combined. (If it seems dry, just add in more crushed tomatoes or your favorite red sauce.)

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce/veggie mixture. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with the spinach. Spoon the ricotta over the spinach in small dollops. You don't need to spread it around. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and a little bit of the parmesan. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheeses. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and the rest of your mozzarella! Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Until the noodles in the middle are tender.