spinach lasagna rolls with roasted red bell pepper alfredo sauce

by tijuana, 03/21/2013

my hubby has a wonderful friend from work named dede. she has to be one of the sweetest people alive. my husband started working from home about a year and a half ago and had to leave his close buddy. although he is home everyday, he still tries to take dede out to lunch every once in a while. we have been inviting dede over for dinner for some time now. we were thrilled when she finally accepted our offer! dede is a vegetarian, so when i started brainstorming recipes, spinach rolls quickly popped into my mind. although spinach rolls are very common, i wanted to make them with a unique sauce. once at the store, these gorgeous large red bell peppers caught my attention. then it all came together. red bell pepper alfredo sauce! so, with this recipe i made, garden salad, garlic toast, and my banana caramel no bake cheesecakes. the lasagna rolls were so good. way better than i expected. the hubby, who is not vegetarian, devoured them like they were full of steak. lol. the sweet bell peppers and salty parmesan work together wonderfully. dede really enjoyed this dinner and so did we. we had a great time. 🙂

total Time: 01h 10min
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 40 minutes
yield: 8 servings

ingredients:

- roasted red bell pepper alfredo sauce
2 red bell peppers - seeds removed, thick slices
1 tablespoon canola oil -
salt/pepper -
1/4 stick butter -
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream -
1 cup parmesan cheese -
- lasagna rolls
1 package lasagna noodles -
1 tablespoon canola oil -
1 package frozen spinach -
1 (24 ounce) container ricotta cheese -
1 cup parmesan cheese -
1 cup mozzarella cheese -
1 egg -
salt/pepper -
- topping
1 cup mozzarella cheese -

instructions:

preheat the oven to 425 degrees. arrange the bell pepper strips on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. drizzle over the canola oil over the peppers and season with salt/pepper to taste.

bake in the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until tender and caramelized. remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat. add in the chopped garlic to the pan and stir until the garlic is fragrant.

add in the heavy cream. stir until combined. season with salt/pepper to taste (i used 1/2 teaspoon).

add in the parmesan cheese and stir. continue stirring until the cheese is melted. allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until reduced and thickened.

meanwhile, add the cooled roasted peppers to a blender or food processor. puree until smooth.

fold the red pepper puree into the thickened alfredo sauce. taste, season with salt/pepper (if needed) and set aside.

bring a large pot of water to a boil. salt the water and add the oil to the water, as well. add in the lasagna noodles. cook according to package instructions. drain and set aside to cool.

add the spinach to a kitchen towel and squeeze out all of the moisture. place the spinach in a large bowl. add the ricotta, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, egg and salt/pepper to taste (i used 1/2 teaspoon) to the bowl as well. stir until combined.

once the lasagna noodles have cooled enough to handle, lay one flat on a cutting board or flat surface. place a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on the lasagna noodle.

smooth the mixture across the noodle and roll it up. repeat with remaining 19 noodles.

spoon some of the red bell pepper alfredo sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. place the rolls over top of the sauce.

pour the rest of the sauce over top.

sprinkle the last cup of mozzarella over top.

lower the temperature of the oven to 400 degrees. bake the rolls covered for about 20 minutes. uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or so until lightly browned and bubbly.