Giada's Lasagna Rolls

I didn't want to spend all day in a kitchen putting a lasagna together and I had a bag of fresh baby spinach in the fridge needing to be used up....hence, my inspiration to try this recipe!! :)

I did make a few changes, noted below, due to the reviews of the original recipe. I have the original recipe below, but noted what I did in red. I added mushrooms to the filling mixture as well as pressed garlic. I'm sure I used more than 1 cup of cheese too!

It was VERY easy to make and would be great to make ahead and then heat later! I will definitely be making this again, it was DELICIOUS!!! I would highly recommend the addition of garlic, without it, I think it would have been a lacking a bit.

Lasagna Rolls
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis - Food Network

Ingredients

Sauce: *Per the reviews on Food Network.com, I doubled this bechamel recipe*

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry *I used fresh which I chopped and steamed for about 4 minutes*
  
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped *I omitted*
  
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend *I added an extra egg per the suggestions on Food Network.com reviews*
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil *I omitted*
  
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto *I omitted*, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.*I used fresh spinach & added chopped mushrooms & 4 small cloves of pressed garlic*

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.