Veggie Lasagna Roll-ups

 
First and foremost, we gained a few inches of snow this morning! It is gloriously white and chilly, but thankfully we are doing absolutely nothing on this lazy Sunday.

To compliment the weather I decided to make my veggie lasagna, which I have been making for years. I also decided to switch things up and make lasagna rolls instead of the traditional layered style. No reason as to why, really, I just thought it would be fun. And oh-so-tasty!


Filling:
15 oz container ricotta cheese (Part skim! Whole makes it too wet and skimmed makes it far too dry)
2-3 large garlic cloves (Depending on how much you like garlic. We looove it!)
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
4 oz frozen spinach
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper

Other stuffs:
12 lasagna noodles
16 oz jar pasta sauce (Get the good stuff, no Prego or Ragu here!)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Start by boiling the noodles until they are a bit underdone as they will continue to cook in the oven. (You will only need 10 noddles, but I make 2 extras just in case some tear.)  Drain the noodles and lay out flat on a piece of parchment paper or cutting board. 

Next take a 9x13 baking dish and spread a small amount of sauce over the bottom and set aside.

 

Grate the zucchini and yellow squash into a medium sized bowl. Defrost, drain and chop the spinach and add to the bowl. Mix the veggies thoroughly with the ricotta cheese, garlic, spices and 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Begin spooning the filling onto each noodle and spreading it out into a thin layer. Also spread a small amount of sauce on top of the cheese and veggie mixture. (If you have homemade sauce, go for it! Unfortunately we used the last of our frozen homemade stash last week. But a jar of Calssico or Newman's Own would be acceptable.)

 

Roll up each noodle lightly using just the tips of your fingers to push it forward. We don't want to squeeze out any of that delicious filling!

Place the rolls seam side down in the baking dish. You can arrange the rolls as you like, but I found that two long rows of five seemed to work out best. Spoon sauce over each roll, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for approximately 15 more minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.