Spinach and Cheese Roll-Ups

Categories: Pasta- Pasta Sauce- Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 14 1/2 oz. can tomatoes, cut up
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 3/4 cup fat-free or reduced-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup)
• 2 Tbsp. freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil, or Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 egg white, slightly beaten
• 8 dried lasagna noodles

Directions

1. For sauce, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Carefully stir in the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, the 1 1/2 tsp. fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil and the sugar. Bring just to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until sauce is of desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and ground pepper to taste.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For filling, drain thawed spinach well, pressing out excess liquid. Stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses with the 2 tsp. fresh basil or 1.2 tsp. dried basil or Italian seasoning in a mixing bowl. Stir in spinach and egg white.

3. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Cover and set aside.
4. To assemble, evenly spread about 1/4 cup cheese filling on each noodle. Roll up from one end. Place rolls, seam side down, into a large ovenproof baking dish. Top each roll-up with some of the sauce. Bake roll-ups, covered, for 25 minutes or until heated through. Transfer two rolls each to a dinner plate. Top with remaining sauce.

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