Spinach Lasagna Rolls Anyone?

I am a huge fan of meal planning! I find that when I know, and am prepared, in advance what I'm going to be cooking I not only am excited for dinner time to come, but also avoid takeout and Taco Bell. (Although I firmly believe a little Taco Bell never hurt anyone.). The majority if my meals are found via Pinterest, and these spinach lasagna rolls with roasted red pepper alfredo were no exception. The original recipe can be found at http://www.pomanmeals.com/spinach-lasagna-rolls-with-roasted-red-bell-pepper-alfredo-sauce/

Let's get started!

Cut two red bell peppers into good sized strips. 

I love bell peppers with almost anything, so I was super excited to use them for a sauce!

After cutting them, place them on a foil lined pan and drizzle with oil. The recipe called for canola, but it used EVOO. 

Then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. How cute are these shakers I got when my Granny (great-grandma) passed? I love having them sit on my counter, and think they're the most fun addition to my kitchen so far. 

Put those in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until caramelized, and then pull out to cool. 

While those were in the oven I got the rest of my sauce ingredients ready. 

I'm a huge fan of easy, so I always use pre-minced garlic and just keep it in my fridge. 

In a sauce pan heat 1/4 stick of butter with the equivalent of 2 cloves of garlic. 

Heat until you can smell the garlic warming then pour in your 1 1/2 cups heavy cream. If you're looking for this at the store, and are unsure of what to buy it may be labeled Heavy Whipping Cream, totally the same thing. You can also add some more salt and pepper as well. 

Then pour in your cup of Parmesan cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. 

While simmering I put the peppers into my cute little pink food processor (because cute appliances a re the best kinds) and ground away until they were a saucy consistency. 

You then add that into your sauce. 

I left this (stirred of course) on the stove on low while I finished the rest, and just made sure to keep an eye on it and stir it occasionally. 

Boil a large pot of water, and then add 1 Tbsp oil and some salt and it's ready to pour your package of lasagna noodles in. 

Since those required 6-8 minutes of cook time I got the filling ready. I didn't have enough Parmesan cheese on hand, so I just used more mozzarella. 

Combine your package of spinach, container of ricotta cheese, 2 cups of shredded cheese and your egg. I found it easiest to just mix with my hands. 

Set this to the side so you can drain your noodles, I also rinsed with cool water so they'd be easier to handle. 

Next, in a large casserole dish, spoon enough sauce to cover the bottom of your pan. 

Then lay your noodle out, spoon some mixture into the end and roll. 

Aren't they so easy? Lay them in your pan until it's full, and your filling is used up. I had a few extra noodles at the end that didn't get used. 

Top it off with the remaining sauce, and enough mozzarella to fully cover the noodles. 

Lower the oven to 400 degrees, cover your pan with foil, and cook for 20 minutes. Then uncover and cook for between 15-20 more until the cheese is good and melted. 

And there you have it. Simply delicious spinach lasagna rolls with easily the yummiest pasta sauce I've ever had. 

I will say there are definitely a couple things I'd do differently next time. 

First, I LOVED the sauce, and think the recipe could some more so I'd do at least 1/2 a batch more sauce. 

Next, my husband is a huge texture person so I would throw the spinach through the food processor first. (Plus I may have accidentally used 2 packages. Whoops!)

Finally, I haven't decided quite what it could use, but I'm thinking I would add some tapatio, or other form of hot sauce, into the filling to give it a little kick. It wasn't bad, but slightly bland. 

Let me know when you make these, and what tips or tricks you find. Would love to have some more ideas!