One year ago, I posted a lasagna roll up recipe with spinach, ricotta and tomato sauce. They were a hit - mainly because it is super-easy to exercise portion control and very easy to serve. Last December, I saw a similar recipe with alfredo sauce and loved the looks of it. But of course, when I went back to find it - all I could find were fillings that contained cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. And I thought: "Mama-Mia! - that's a lot of cheese!" If you weren't lactose intolerant before the meal, you might be afterwards.
This is rich - but it won't send you into a coma. It's filled with chicken, spinach, mozzarella and parmesan. Plus - you can devise the amount in the filling to suit you. I've seen some with broccoli, others with just cheese. You just can't mess this up. I made this early in the day, refrigerated it and popped it in the oven when the guests arrived. It's a nifty, 30-minute coking time.
Ingredients - serves 6-8 depending on appetites (the three females at the table had a serving size of one; the three males took 2-3)
2 cups your favorite alfredo sauce
15 lasagna noodles
2 cups cooked chicken
1 10 oz package frozen spinach - well drained (of course, you can use fresh spinach)
1-1/2 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup Parmesan
Italian seasoning (or fresh Italian parsley)
A little garlic is nice
I didn't over stuff-them. Just adjust the filling amount to what works for you.
Preparation
Get out all the moisture in the frozen spinach. (I drained over night.)
Cook lasagna noodles. Drain on paper towels.
Mix cooked chicken, spinach and cheeses in a bowl. Season to taste. I just used some Italian seasoning and pepper.
Thinly spread some alfredo sauce in the bottom of your lasagna pan.
Thinly spread about 1 tablespoon of the alfredo sauce on the drained noodles. Add about 3 tablespoons of the filling and spread thinly. Roll up the lasagna noodles and place seam-side down in the pan. Repeat. And repeat. Dollup each roll-up with 1 tablespoon of the alfredo sauce.
When you are ready to cook them, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for thirty minutes. Serve. Tada!
I needed two pans.
I has leftovers. Everyone rejoiced and took some home.
We've had a mild winter. I walked most of the winter. I also gained weight. (I think the two cookbooks: French Comfort Food and Winter Cabin Cooking had something to do with it. I meant to post the recipes all winter (very good). Winter Cabin Cooking is also too pretty - makes you fall in love with winter. So as I look at my jeans that I do not fit into, I am reminded how comforted I was this winter!
We barely need the fireplace. March has been warmer than usual. But Matthew's cat is here now and Puck loves it so it goes on for a bit.
And the three cats are mostly getting along.
The theatre work (the stuff I am supposed to be doing when I am not cooking) has gone well. I am flying to Salt Lake City in April to develop a youth play about the first female paleontologist, Mary Anning. Then, I go to Chicago to develop my arctic-physics play Bound by Stardust. Then I come home for a day and do laundry and then go to Independence, Kansas for my one act play about climate change. I had to laugh - I finally get into some places that I have targeted for years - and all happens in April. So, April won't be the cruelest month. Just a busy one.
