Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Another of my favorite dishes, Spinach Lasagna Rolls. I first had a similar dish at Old Ebbit's Grill here in Washington, DC. Their dish is served in Cannelloni tubes, but when I first made these, I didn't have any tubed pasta, so I used lasagna noodles instead. It was even better. You will not want to eat just one, instead you'll be begging for 3 or 4 more before you admit you're stuffed. They're that good. Light and delicious!

To make this dish you need a simple Alfredo sauce and the filling which is listed below. If you've never made an Alfredo sauce from scratch, don't get scared, it's really easy to make. For this recipe, make the Alfredo sauce last in order to make sure you can concentrate on the sauce itself.  The yield for this recipe is 4 main dish servings, or 8 appetizer servings. 

 Stuffing:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

10 oz baby spinach

1 3/4 cups ricotta  

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup thinly sliced prosciutto or ham steak, cut up into small pieces (you could use Chicken instead of ham for a different taste)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 oz finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano ( 1/2 cup)

8 (6- by 4-inch) fresh pasta rectangles or 8 oven-ready (sometimes labeled "no-boil") lasagna noodles

Special equipment: a 13- by 9- by 2-inch ceramic baking dish or other shallow 3-qt flameproof baking dish (not glass)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Make Lasagna Noodles as directed on the box. Drain and lay flat on a clean surface, or wax paper.

Garlic Puree:  Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and sauté, stirring, until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Stuffing mixture: Stir together ricotta, egg, parsley, prosciutto, ham or chicken (if using any), salt, pepper, and 1/3 cup cheese in a bowl, then stir in spinach mixture.

 Alfredo Sauce

1 tablespoon garlic puree

1 pound butter

2 quarts heavy cream

8 ounces milk

1cups Parmesan cheese

1 cup Romano cheese

4 ounces Fontina cheese (substitute for Fontina would be provolone cheese)

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

Make sauce:  Create a roux (flour paste) by melting butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then add flour and whisk it until all butter has been absorbed. Slowly add milk, stirring or whisking at the same time. Bring mixture to a soft boil and add in the cheese, stirring constantly. Add additional milk if necessary to ensure cheese is completely melted.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, remove from heat.

BAKING:  Cover your Lasagna Spinach Rolls generously with Alfredo Sauce and bake for 20 -25 minutes, top should be a light golden brown. Check this dish often while in the oven, it can burn easily.

 Serve with fresh Garlic Bread and a Salad, and you've got one awesome meal before you begging to be devoured.

 Cook's note:  You know me I'm all about making large batches than freezing, but in this case, do not freeze this dish; it doesn't freeze well at all. Instead, you can make it the day before, don't cook it, and keep in fridge over night. When you remove from fridge, let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. You might need to add a little milk to the dish to thin out the sauce before cooking though, it tends to get really thick in the fridge.