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Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

We had friends over for dinner so I decided to make lasagna roll-ups.  I slow simmered a meat sauce for hours which made it so flavorful and delicious.  I combined ricotta, basil, spinach, garlic, mozzarella, and Parmesan together to make a delicious lasagna roll-up filling.  These roll-ups were quite simple to make and looked beautiful when presented.  My husband and I loved this meal and so did our dinner guests.

Side Note: This recipe makes a large batch of meat sauce so I put the remainder into a large zip lock freezer bag and have put it into the freezer for a quick and easy weeknight meal.  

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

How to Make Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the ground beef and the onion.  Cook, stirring often to crumble the beef for 4-5 minutes.  Add the carrots, roasted bell pepper, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.  Add the beef stock, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, and tomato sauce to the beef mixture as well as the sugar.  Stir until well combined.  Cover with a lid and reduce heat then simmer for 3-4 hours.  Before serving add the fresh basil and parsley then stir to combine.

After the sauce has simmered, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

Cook lasagna noodles per instructions then lay them out on top of some parchment paper.

Combine the ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, nutmeg, basil, parsley, garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a large bowl; mix until well combined.  Spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture down the entire length of the lasagna noodle. Repeat with the remaining noodles.  Starting from one end, roll up.  Repeat.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray then spoon a layer of the slow-simmered meat sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Place the lasagna rolls, seam side down, into the baking dish.  Cover each roll with sauce then add a bit of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese to the top of each roll.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

Cover with tin foil, and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove the tin foil and continue baking for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

 

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups with a Slow Simmered Meat Sauce

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8
Author: Pam / For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

Slow Simmered Meat Sauce:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 sweet yellow onion diced
  • 3-4 carrots finely diced
  • ½ cup of roasted bell pepper diced
  • 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes more if desired
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 cup of beef stock
  • 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 3 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 1-2 tbsp of sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups:

  • 8 lasagna noodles cooked per instructions
  • 1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups of baby spinach chopped finely
  • 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese (divided)
  • ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese (divided)
  • 1 egg
  • tsp fresh nutmeg grated
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped finely
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic minced
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground beef and the onion. Cook, stirring often to crumble the beef for 4-5 minutes. Add the carrots, roasted bell pepper, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, and tomato sauce to the beef mixture as well as the sugar. Stir until well combined. Cover with a lid and reduce heat then simmer for 3-4 hours. Before serving add the fresh basil and parsley then stir to combine.
  • After the sauce has simmered, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cook lasagna noodles per instructions then lay them out on top of some parchment paper.
  • Combine the ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, 2 tbsp of Parmesan, egg, nutmeg, basil, parsley, garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a large bowl; mix until well combined. Spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture down the entire length of the lasagna noodle. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Starting from one end, roll up. Repeat.
  • Coat a baking dish with cooking spray then spoon a layer of the slow-simmered meat sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Place the lasagna rolls, seam side down, into the baking dish. Cover each roll with sauce then add the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese and 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese equally to the top of each roll.
  • Cover with tin foil, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the tin foil and continue baking for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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35 Comments

  1. Wow Pam – totally awesome looking and sounding. The presentation is great in both the casserole dish and plated. Next time I’m over please serve this.

  2. First I have to say Thank You. We have enjoyed many of your recipes, with some of them becoming family favourites. This recipe looks just great, but how much beef stock is missing from your recipe. Could you please correct, as I print the recipes off for my book and I am not the only one cooking from that book. Keep posting these fabulous recipes.

  3. What a delicious, gorgeous dish! The presentation is perfect…who doesn’t love their own little portion? Great job, Pam!

  4. Great pics of your dish! I know if I tried to take pictures during the assembly process, 2 things happen: 1. My camera gets yucky. 2. Dinner is very late.

  5. What a great idea to make the little individual roll ups, this would be perfect for someone like me who cooks just for myself on most nights!

    1. Jessica,

      Thanks for letting me know it was missing. I used 1-2 tbsp of sugar… start with one, taste, then add more if desired.

      I hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      Pam

  6. i love lasagna but if it comes out of the pan easily with no mess, then it obviously isn’t saucy enough. this is a fine way to solve that–very classy dish!

  7. Hi There, Wow…this recipe is looking Wonderful and I’m loving it so much. Today I was out of ideas and was wandering what to make. Got the answer now…! I can’t wait to try it on my island. Have a wonderful week ahead. Thanks & Regards, Sonia !!!

  8. Gorgeous!
    You know what I like about your posts? When I Stumble them, I never have to enter the information because someone else has already stumbled that post too! Damn you’re popular 😉

  9. Made this today and it was absolutely delicious. We used some crusty bread to sop up every last bit of the sauce!! Thanks for another great recipe, Pam!

    1. Edie,

      I have not personally tried it but I think it should work just fine. Please let know how it turns out if you give it a try.

      -Pam