Rich Bonaduce shared one of his favorite cheap-and-easy dinner recipes, that he says is a quicker take on his mom's lasagna, without sacrificing taste!
Rich's Lasagna Rolls
INGREDIENTS
8 lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 ounces) package frozen chopped spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can/jar spaghetti sauce
1 (14 ounces) can/jar diced tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
Prep: 20 mins.
Cook: 35 mins.
Ready in: 55 mins.
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in boiling water until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain and lay noodles flat onto a cutting board.
While boiling noodles, brown 1 lb. of ground beef; drain excess oil. Set aside
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic in hot oil until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Stir in thawing frozen spinach; stir until cooked
Transfer garlic/spinach mixture to a large bowl; add ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir the mixture until evenly combined.
In another bowl, combine sauce and tomatoes. Add seasoning if you wish. Spoon a small amount into the bottom of a baking dish.
Spread a 1/4 cup of spinach/cheese mixture into the middle of each lasagna noodle. Sprinkle cooked meat on cheese mixture. Roll noodle firmly around the filling. Leave a small amount of spinach/cheese mixture in reserve.
Arrange rolled noodles into a baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce/tomato mixture over the rolls. Then spoon over top the remaining spinach/cheese mixture.
Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from dish and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the rolls to serve.
VARIATIONS
Use ground Italian sausage instead of plain beef
Use ground spicy Italian sausage instead of plain beef
Use a shredded three-cheese variety mixture at the end
Vegetarian variety: leave out the meat
Vegan variety: leave out the meat, use cheese substitute (chic pea)
CHEAPER AND EASIER
28 oz premixed sauce instead of combining two separate jars/cans
Buy Less expensive ingredients generally
MO` TIME, MO` MONEY, MO` TASTY
14oz sauce combined with 14oz diced tomatoes, add some spices
Use snazzy, flavored oil in water, meat, and recipe (like infused with basil)
Use whole garlic diced yourself
Salt and pepper on meat while browning
