Baked Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne Roll-Ups
- Savory
- Italian
- Oven
Tender lasagne sheets rolled around a creamy ricotta and spinach filling, baked under tomato passata and melted mozzarella. A comforting, protein-rich vegetarian dinner straight from the oven.
- Total
- 75 min
- Prep 25 · Cook 40 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Blanching · Seasoning in layers
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the lasagne sheets and cook for 6 minutes until just pliable but still firm. Drain and lay them flat on a clean kitchen towel.
~6 min
Part-cooking the sheets makes them pliable enough to roll without cracking, while keeping them firm so they don't turn to mush in the oven.
Blanching Cook the pasta and spinach only until just tender and still bright or firm; overcooking makes the sheets tear and the spinach mushy.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the sheets cook, put the spinach in a colander and pour over 500 ml water heated to a gentle simmer to wilt it, or press it into the pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Let it cool slightly, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands and chop roughly.
~5 min
Wilted spinach holds a lot of water, and squeezing it out stops the filling turning runny and the rolls sliding apart.
Squeeze the wilted spinach really dry: any water left in it thins the ricotta and makes the rolls slide apart.
Blanching Cook the pasta and spinach only until just tender and still bright or firm; overcooking makes the sheets tear and the spinach mushy.
-
Crush the garlic. In a mixing bowl, stir the ricotta with the chopped spinach, garlic, 1 tsp salt and the black pepper until evenly combined.
~5 min
Seasoning in layers Season the ricotta filling and the passata separately so every layer tastes right; under-seasoned filling can't be fixed once baked.
-
Spread half the tomato passata over the base of the baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Lay a lasagne sheet on a board, spread about 3 tbsp of the ricotta mixture along one short end, roll it up and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling.
~8 min
The passata layer stops the rolls sticking to the dish and gives them something to steam in as they bake.
Seasoning in layers Season the ricotta filling and the passata separately so every layer tastes right; under-seasoned filling can't be fixed once baked.
-
Spoon the remaining tomato passata over the rolls and season with the last 0.5 tsp salt. Tear or grate the mozzarella over the top.
~3 min
Seasoning in layers Season the ricotta filling and the passata separately so every layer tastes right; under-seasoned filling can't be fixed once baked.
-
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the passata bubbles at the edges and the mozzarella is golden and crisp in spots. Let the dish stand for 10 minutes before serving so the rolls hold their shape.
~45 min
Resting lets the filling set and the pasta reabsorb juices, so the rolls slice cleanly instead of collapsing on the plate.
