Spinach Lasagna rolls have been on my freezer cooking to do list for quite some time. I’ve been waiting until I made crock pot marinara to pull out the other ingredients I have on hand; lasagna noodles, frozen spinach and cottage cheese.
I made some incredibly yummy marinara this past time because I had some fresh basil that I turned into freezer pesto right away.
This pesto made the lasagna rolls taste so fresh and delicious.
I like to freeze smaller portions to avoid freezer burn. It keeps them compact with as little air as possible. I also love using this smaller size of pyrex dishes for the toaster oven. I was fortunate to find six of these about a month ago at a garage sale for $5. Such a great bargain since of these would be $5. I’ve used these so many times already.
I’ve assembled four individual dishes with three rolls in each. Here are a few of my tips and tricks for freezing.
After assembly, I like to cover the top with foil with the heating instructions written on it with a sharpie. Before I foil the top, I have sprayed the underside of the foil with cooking spray. This keeps the cheese from sticking to the foil while baking.
I reduced the cooking time about 10 minutes since these are smaller servings. However, time always varies on how long the freezer item has thawed. I like to make sure my food is hot and bubbly. I used my Misto sprayer which I also found brand new at Goodwill for $1. Have I inspired you to go second hand shopping for freezer cooking supplies yet?
We ate one dish and saved three for future summer meals. Oh how I love freezer cooking! This will be a breeze one night to pop into the toaster oven and share a big summer side salad and/or fresh fruit.
Here’s a sneak peak of our hot and bubbly dish straight from Oyster toaster convection oven which I bought brand new for $10 at our local flea market about a month ago.
Ingredients:
- 12 lasagna noodles, cooked
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
- 15 oz cottage or ricotta cheese (I used about 1/2 cup more for 12 rolls)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- salt and fresh pepper
- 4 cups favorite marinara (I use my crock pot marinara)
- about 1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach,cottage or ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.
- Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
- Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese.
- Label foil with cooking directions if freezing. Spray foil with cooking spray on the underside. Place on top of baking dish and cover with lid and or additional foil if freezing.
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. You may remove foil the last few minutes for browning if desired.
Freezer Tips and Tricks:
- Spray underside of foil to prevent cheese sticking.
- Double wrap in foil or use heavy duty foil if you’re not placing a plastic lid on top.
- Plan accordingly and thaw large trays of lasagna rolls 48 hours. Cook 10 minutes longer.
- Smaller packaged lasagna rolls can thaw for 24 hours and bake for about 30 minutes.
I hope you enjoy these rolls as much as we do. Feel free to adapt them to your family’s taste; with meat, sausage or pepperoni slices. Or thinly shaved zuchinni or squash incorporating your summer bounty. Enjoy!
Do you freeze pasta meals?