Spinach Lasagna

Making lasagna is tedious that is why I really would rather use the frozen and ready to cook kind. However, I think this recipe is simple enough. Plus, it's much healthier than the beef kind. Each lasagna roll is so filling. A piece would probably even be enough per person. (Sorry for the photo. Forgot to take one right after it was cooked so all the pieces where the filling sort of pop out in the side have already been eaten and this was the only piece left.)

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles (I use whole wheat kind)

2 tablespoons butter

3 teaspoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup ricotta cheese (add more if desired)

10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, for filling and 3 tablespoons for topping

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper

1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded

1 cup Marinara sauce (whatever kind you like)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Bechamel Sauce:

Melt the buter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and slowly add the milk. Let simmer and let the sauce thicken. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Lasagna Filling:

Combine egg, ricotta cheese, spinach and parmesan cheese in a bowl.

Noodles:

Cook noodles based on instructions in box but add a tablespoon of oil in the water used to cook the pasta. Drain and lay individually in a tray with paper towel to prevent from sticking together.

Assembly:

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and spoon bechamel sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling in each end of the lasagna noodle. Roll the noodle up to the other end. Lay in the bowl. Do the same thing with the other noodles and have them lay on the bowl alongside each other but not touching each other. Cover with marinara sauce when done. And then top with mozarella cheese and a little bit of parmesan. Tighly cover the baking dish with a foil. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. And then remove the foil cover and let cook for another 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and let stand for another 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!