Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna Rollups

Last night I made Low Fat Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna Roll-ups! I was in a bit of a rush, so they aren’t as neat and pretty as they could be, but they were delicious!! These aren’t complicated to make, but they are a little more time consuming than I usually go for on a week night.

How is this dish low fat? First, it doesn’t use any mozzarella cheese! Second, I use ricotta cheese, but I mix it with low-fat cottage cheese, which gives the right consistency with less fat and calories. Third, I use tofu mince instead of beef (which I don’t eat), which gives protein and texture to the meal without the grease and fat. The dish tastes light and yummy, and due to all that spinach, a bit healthy!

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated lasagna sheets (easier to work with than dried)
2 cartons organic chopped tomatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers
180g package Cauldron Organic Tofu Mince
180g organic young leaf spinach, rinsed, dried, and roughly chopped
250g ricotta cheese
150-200g low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Optional: splash of red wine, umami paste

Directions:
1. Soak the lasagna sheets in boiled water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Leave in bowl filled with cold water and set aside.

2. In a bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, and cottage cheese

3. Roast the red peppers. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut out any white bits. Place skin side facing up on a foil covered baking sheet. Place under the grill until the skin turns black. Remove from the oven and wrap loosely in the foil for 12 minutes. Peel off the blackened skin and discard. Chop the peppers into pieces.

4. Make the sauce. Add olive oil and a splash of red wine to a saucepan. Fry the onions in a bit of olive oil until soft (about 3-4 minutes). Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and roasted peppers. Simmer for a few minutes until nice and hot. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender or other blender. Return to pan and stir in the tofu mince and a good squeeze of umami paste. Bring back up to a simmer for a few minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Use chilli or red pepper flakes if you like a bit of heat (I do not).

5. Make the roll-ups. Take a bit of the sauce and add it to the bottom of a glass baking dish. Dry a lasagna sheet on a clean tea towel and place on a cutting board. Spread 2 tablespoons (approx) of the spinach/cheese mix all over the lasagna sheet. Starting at a smaller end, roll the lasagna sheet up (the tighter the better). Using a serrated knife, cut the roll-up in thirds. Place standing up in the baking dish. Repeat until all of the ingredients are used.

Roll-ups pre-sauce

6. Gently spoon the remaining sauce over the roll-ups, making sure all of them are coated. Don’t pour the sauce or the roll-ups can topple over or come apart. (I didn’t use all the lasagna sheets, so it wasn’t very tightly packed in the dish).

Roll-ups pre-oven

7. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake in a hot oven (gas mark 6/7) for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes.

8. Serve with a salad or steamed vegetables. Enjoy!