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Step up dinner with this easy and beautiful Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups recipe! It has a classic cheesy ricotta filling rolled up in long pasta and topped with the best homemade marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese. This is a fun way to recreate a traditional lasagna while keeping all the great flavors you love.
If you love a good lasagna recipe like my homemade lasagna or a pasta substitute style recipe like this eggplant version, then this roll-up pasta bake will undoubtedly inspire you to try more ways to enjoy the classic. Pair with a salad or bread for a full family-friendly dinner.
Table of Contents
- why you’ll love this Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe
- Ingredients to make Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
- How to make Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
- Tips for making Vegetarian Lasagna Roll Ups
- popular substitutions & additions
- what to serve with your Easy Lasagna Roll Ups
- how to store & reheat Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
- Frequently asked questions
- More pasta recipes:
- Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe
why you’ll love this Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe
- Easy to make. Each part of this lasagna recipe comes together pretty easily. Preparing the noodles for rolling, mixing the spinach and cheese filling, and assembling the rolls with a 3 ingredient marinara sauce is so easy and fun.
- A fun new way to eat lasagna. This individual-size lasagna roll-up recipe is a beautiful display of delicious food. It’s so fun to make these little pasta rolls full of all your favorite flavors of a classic vegetarian lasagna!
- Versatile filling with many possibilities. You can swap the ricotta for cottage cheese for a similar cheese-based filling or use a non-dairy filling full of hearty vegetables like sauteed mushrooms.
Ingredients to make Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
- Lasagna noodles: This recipe makes 12 individual lasagna rolls or one box of noodles. I suggest making a couple extra for any breaks when par-cooking them.
- Spinach: For the filling, I use frozen spinach. The trick to getting it to set well is to drain the spinach from excess liquid.
- Cheese filling: The filling combines ricotta cheese and Parmesan as the base (use rennet-free Parmesan for vegetarians). Mix the cheese with an egg to help bind it for a thick layer that holds together while baking. The lasagna cheese filling is flavored with garlic, fresh basil, and spices (Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes) and combined with the spinach for a delicious roll-up.
- Marinara sauce: Use store-bought jarred sauce, or try my homemade marinara sauce. I love making my own red sauce from scratch and freezing it in mason jars whenever I need it for a recipe. It’s much more wholesome and delicious when you make your own!
- Mozzarella cheese: This final touch of melty, stringy cheese is exactly what completes this lasagna roll-up recipe.
How to make Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
Just like making a classic lasagna, there are two components to the recipe: the filling and then the assembly. It is easy to make, not much more laborious than a whole lasagna, and just as flavorful and delicious! To prepare for assembling the lasagna rolls, start by cooking the lasagna noodles according to the packaging to al dente and preheat the oven.
Prepare Filling and Roll Ups
- While the pasta cooks, make the filling by adding the well-drained spinach to a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, an egg, garlic, and spices.
- Use a fork to mix the filling together until the spinach is evenly distributed throughout and any large chunks are broken up.
- After draining the noodles, work quickly to assemble the roll ups by laying a noodle out and spreading the ricotta filling over the surface.
- Roll it up into a spiral from the bottom of the noodle, repeating with the remaining lasagna pasta.
Bake stuffed Lasagna Roll ups
- Add some marinara sauce to the bottom of a baking dish in an even layer.
- Place the filled pasta rolls on top of the sauce in rows. You will have four rows of three stuffed noodles in the baking dish.
- Add the remaining marinara sauce on top of the lasagna roll ups and sprinkle the tops with mozzarella cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake.
- When almost done, remove the foil and bake a few more minutes until the cheese is melty and bubbly.
Tips for making Vegetarian Lasagna Roll Ups
- Keep it al dente! Don’t forget about those noodles! These roll ups bake for a while in the oven, so make sure you only cook the lasagna noodles al dente; you don’t want them to be mushy!
- Work quickly! Rolling the noodles is not difficult, but they can get a little sticky if they sit too long after you drain them. Ensure your filling is ready to go as soon as you drain the noodles. If things get a little sticky, you can spray your work surface and the noodles with olive oil spray.
- Use long lasagna noodles. The smaller ones will work just fine, but the long ones are easier to roll and have a better presentation in the end.
- Drain the spinach well. When you thaw frozen spinach, you’ll notice it releases lot of liquid, so I highly suggest taking the extra step of draining the spinach very well. You can use a kitchen towel, cheesecloth, and even paper towels to squeeze the spinach.
popular substitutions & additions
- Add cooked chicken. This changes it from a vegetarian recipe but makes it a little more hearty. You can use ground chicken or cubed chicken breast.
- Add other ground meat. Again, this does change this from a vegetarian lasagna, but you can also add cooked ground beef or ground turkey.
- Add more veggies. You can really hearty up the marinara sauce by adding in some extra veggies. Try diced zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms, corn, or bell peppers. Just chop them up small, cook until soft, and mix them into the marinara. You could add other greens to the ricotta mixture, such as cooked kale.
- Switch out the lasagna noodles. Keep this same great recipe but use large stuffed shells instead of noodles. You can fill them up and bake them the same way. It’s a great way to enjoy the same meal but with a different presentation.
- Replace the ricotta. Small curd cottage cheese is an excellent substitute if you are in a pinch or just don’t like ricotta.
what to serve with your Easy Lasagna Roll Ups
how to store & reheat Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
If you have leftovers from this vegetarian lasagna recipe, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container. For the best results when reheating, I recommend adding it back to a baking dish, covering it with foil, and heating it in the oven until warmed through.
how long will Lasagna Roll ups last in the fridge?
Store cooked leftovers for up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
can I freeze Vegetarian Lasagna Roll Ups?
Because of the ricotta filling, I don’t suggest freezing lasagna roll-ups, as the consistency will be altered while freezing and thawing. Because it is already assembled, it would be difficult to reconstitute the separated filling.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use fresh spinach in your lasagna filling mixture, but you’ll want to cook it down first. A frozen bag of spinach equals about 1 ½ cups of cooked spinach. Because fresh spinach cooks down so much, you’ll need about 1 pound of fresh spinach. Cook the spinach in a hot pan with a little oil for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and drain off any extra liquid before adding to the cheese filling.
Keep lasagna covered until the end of cooking, or it will dry out over the long cook time. Cooking lasagna covered with foil keeps the moisture inside, and only removing it for a few minutes before removing it from the oven will brown up the cheese a little on top.
Adding marinara sauce to the baking dish keeps the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan and helps coat the underside, keeping the pasta soft and tender.
After removing the lasagna roll-ups from the oven, allow them to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the cheese filling to set so that it stays beautiful and intact when you serve it.
The easy Lasagna Roll Up recipe with spinach is such a fun way to make a classic. It’s a meatless pasta with a ton of creamy, cheesy flavor enveloped in a saucy marinara for an easy family dinner and weeknight meal. It’s also elegant enough to serve for special occasions for a stunning display.
More pasta recipes:
- Heirloom Tomato Lasagna
- Easy Homemade Lasagna
- Eggplant Lasagna
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- 3-Cheese Stuffed Shells
- Arrabiata Pasta with Shrimp
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Zucchini Ravioli
- Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Shrimp Orzo Salad
- Zucchini Lasagna
If you try this feel good Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups
Video
Ingredients
- 12 lasagna sheets
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen chopped spinach , thawed
- 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus more for pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 ½ cups prepared marinara sauce
- ⅓ cup low moisture mozzarella grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Bring a large pot of lightly seasoned water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
- While the pasta cooks, make the filling. Drain the cooked spinach thoroughly, extracting as much excess water as possible. Place drained spinach in a medium bowl and add ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix with a fork to combine, making sure to break up any large chunks of spinach so it’s evenly distributed.
- Add about ½ cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Set aside.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain and set aside in a colander. Working quickly, place one lasagna noodle on a clean work surface. Spread about 2 to 3 tablespoons of prepared ricotta filling evenly all over the surface of the noodle, then roll into a spiral. Place in the baking pan on top of the marinara. Repeat this process with all of the noodles and filing. You should wind up with 4 rows of 3 lasagna roll ups in your baking pan.
- Drizzle the remaining marinara sauce on top of the lasagna roll-ups, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Uncover the pan, then bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is very melty and bubbly.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
These are so yummy! A perfect sub for a full lasagna! Fills the craving without making enough food for an army!
Thanks so much!
Made this recipe today.Used cottagecheese. We loved this recipe. The roll-ups seem abit dry,the marnaria sauce soaked up in the roll-ups. I will make again,using more sauce.
Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this! Very good… and a great way to get in some green (spinach)!!!
This should be good if I prepare it in the dish, cover and place in fridge over night & Cook the next afternoon??
Hi Lynn, I have not tried that with this recipe, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. If the spinach is really watery it might weep some. Otherwise, it should be just fine. I hope you enjoy!
Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Sure, just make sure you cook it down first to get rid of some of the water content. Hope you enjoy!
Love this recipe! I have made it a few times. It’s perfect for cooking for 2 or more and you can control the portions.
I cook my noodles a day before then roll up and bake after work.
Love that idea, Carolyn! Great tip. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Can’t wait to make this! Do you think I could use the oven ready lasagne noodles for this recipe? I think I would need to boil them for a short time first?
Hi Christine, I have not made this recipe with the oven-ready noodles, but I think they could work. You will need to boil them until they are flexible enough to roll. If you try it, let me know how it works out!
Really enjoyed this one! It had a lot of leftovers and was also really good the next day!
Totally agree, the next day it really shines.
Thanks for your reply, I’ll try it and let you know.
If I add ground beef, do I add it in with the marinara sauce at the bottom? Looking forward to trying this out!
Hi Lindsay! Yep, I would add it to the marinara and use it for the top and bottom. You can try adding it to the ricotta mixture if you’d like. You’d just want to make sure the ground beef is cooked to a fine crumble so you don’t have uneven lumps in the roll-up.