Spinach Lasagna Pinwheels
Makes 6 to 8 wheels
Here is what you need:
1 TBS olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, pressed (if not pressed you may want to saute chopped garlic before using)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 10 ounce package of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and all excess moisture squeezed out, or 1 ½ pounds fresh spinach , cooked down, drained, extra moisture squeezed out and chopped.
1 egg
1 14 ounce jar of your favorite marinara sauce or equal amount of homemade
1 tsp kosher salt plus more to salt pasta water
8 lasagna noodles
grated Parmesan cheese….as much or as little as you like
1 TBS crushed red pepper flakes, optional, also for serving
Chopped fresh thyme, oregano and basil can be added to your sauce.
Here is what you need to do:
First thing, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and heat up a large pot of water, add some salt after it starts boiling. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until they are cooked through but still a little firm to your bite, about 8 minutes. You do not want to overcook the noodles because they will fall apart. You want them under cooked because they are going to cook more in the oven.
Drain noodles and lay out separate on a flat baking sheet lightly sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.
Heat the oil in a small skillet then add garlic if using chopped or sliced and stirring constantly cook until fragrant. (About 1 to 2 minutes) Place the garlic in a bowl and add spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, egg and salt. Stir until well combined. If you are using pressed garlic there is no need to saute but the flavor will be stronger.
Take about 1/3 to ¼ cup of the spinach/cheese mixture and place on the center of each lasagna noodle then spread it evenly down each noodle stopping at one end giving yourself about a ½ inch border. Starting on the non border end, firmly roll up the noodle, securing the seam with the bare end of the noodle. Depending on how much filling you put on each noodle you can make 6 to 8 pinwheels.
Spray a baking dish lightly with a non-stick cooking spray. Place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Place rolled up pinwheels, seam side down in the baking dish. Reserve some sauce for serving if you like then pour the remainder of the sauce over the rolls and cover with lid or foil. Bake for 30 minutes, you can remove foil for the last 5 if you want a little crisp on the top of the dish.
Sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan cheese over the top while still hot and serve with crushed red pepper on the side.
A couple of notes:
I often add crushed red pepper to the sauce along with fresh chopped thyme, oregano and basil, mainly because I always have them on hand. I do this with either sauce I’ve made or the jarred sauce.
Make ahead tip: You can freeze these noodles. Just stop after you roll them up. Put in freezer bags and next time you need a quick meal, grab a jar of sauce and warm up pinsheels in the oven. If you like a lot of cheese on top, set aside some of the mozzarella (our use extra) and sprinkle some on top along with the Parmesan. Garnish with basil if you like. Let's Eat!!