Lasagna Rolls

Contributed By: EatingWell
www.eatingwell.com with permission. Photo by Ken Burris.

Crumbled tofu replaces the ricotta in our Italian-style vegetarian meal.

Total Preparation Time: 15 to 30 minutes
Ingredients: Rice, Pasta & Bread
Actual Cooking Time: 15 to 30 minutes
Number of Servings: 6
Origin: Italian
Special Features: Quick to Prepare (under 30 minutes)
Make Ahead
Vegetarian
Nutrition Content: Good Source of Calcium
High Fiber
Meal Type: Lunch
Entree

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Ingredients

12 Whole-wheat lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 14-ounce Package extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained, rinsed and crumbled
3 cups Chopped spinach
1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Finely chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 25-ounce Jar marinara sauce, preferably lower-sodium, divided
1/2 cup Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse, return to the pot and cover with cold water until ready to use.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add tofu and spinach and cook, stirring often, until the spinach wilts and the mixture is heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in Parmesan, olives, crushed red pepper, salt and 2/3 cup marinara sauce.

3. Wipe out the pan and spread 1 cup of the remaining marinara sauce in the bottom. To make lasagna rolls, place a noodle on a work surface and spread 1/4 cup of the tofu filling along it. Roll up and place the roll, seam-side down, in the pan. Repeat with the remaining noodles and filling. (The tofu rolls will be tightly packed in the pan.) Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the rolls.

4. Place the pan over high heat, cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium; let simmer for 3 minutes. Sprinkle the rolls with mozzarella and cook, covered, until the cheese is melted and the rolls are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Cook's Notes

To make ahead: Freeze the cooked rolls and sauce for up to 1 month.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 354 ; Total Fat: 11g ; Saturated Fat: 3g ; Carbohydrates: 46g ; Protein: 21g ; Vitamin A: 1500 IU ; Calcium: 300 mg ; Sodium: 374mg ; Iron: 2.7 mg ; Fiber: 8g

Recipe Comments

Commented by: kmom01

First time with tofu but I have to say that we almost didn't realize it was in it. Very good starter for people who have never tried tofu. Great dish.

 

Commented by: wisjohnson

Tried the recipe tonight and my family loved it! They rated it a 4, I say 5!.

 

Commented by: honakerhouse

I was scared of the tofu so I used sausage instead and omitted the olives. I have some picky eaters, but they love lasagna. I had them close their eyes for the first bite. They loved it!! When they opened their eyes, they were surprised to see all the GREEN stuff in it, but ate it because they didn't taste the spinach. I have to admit, I'm not much on cooked spinach either, but I loved them too. I have added this to my cookbook.

 

Commented by: brandiey1

I made these for me and my cousin for Thanksgiving and they were delicious! It was a nice treat since we are both vegetarian and can never eat the meat version. They were easy to prepare too.

 

Commented by: happyskeeter

I loved this recipe .. used ricotta instead .. next time I will put a little meat in it.. but it does taste great without the meat. Amazingly so !!!! I am 3 for 3 for great recipes on this site ..I am going to keep a keepers cookbook for anyone wanting some great ones.. I love this site !

 

Commented by: mcloughlin

Instead of tofu, we used ground turkey meat. My kids love this receipe!! Will plan on making these again.

 

Commented by: hpeek33

The use of tofu instead of ricotta is for better protein.

 

Commented by: agaren

I just made these last night and thought that ricotta cheese would be an excellent substitution for tofu. I really like this recipe and plan to make these rolls again.

 

Commented by: mjkbk

I don't understand the use of tofu in this recipe. Why not fat-free ricotta--real cheese? Both are very close nutritionally, but tofu has more fat per ounce. Plus, it simply isn't cheese. Why use a substitute when the healthful REAL thing is available?

 

Commented by: enigmachic

The lasagna rolls were really good even though I did not follow the directions exactly. I thought I read that the sauce with the olives and parmesean was to be placed on TOP of the lasagna (not in the tofu mix), which I thought later that the sauce would be better IN the roll. However, even with messing up the directions, it was really good...and a much healthier version of lasagna too! I will definitely make this again. I did add a little mozzerella cheese on top of and in the lasagna, which was good, but will of course make the nutrition information change.

 

Commented by: bk_lounger42

For all those interested, this meal is 6.5 Weight Watchers points per serving.