Beef & Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I love lasagna but it makes way more food than my husband and I can ever eat before it goes bad. I saw this recipe a while back and kept it on file for me to try soon. The original recipe doesn't call for any meat but I know my husband has to have his protein so I added some beef. This was my first attempt at making these lasagna rolls and we were very impressed. These lasagna rolls were a great new recipe because they are very simple to make. The added bonus to this dish is that you can freeze them individually and then just pull out how many you want for lunches or another supper later in the week.

Knowing that lasagna can be quite filling, I only served this main dish with some sliced oranges and a small salad.

Beef & Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Serves: 9 lasagna rolls
Adapted by: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef OR 1 pound ground turkey breast
9 lasagna noodles, cooked (I used Healthy Harvest Wheat Lasagna noodles...gotta love them whole grains!)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of all water
15 oz light ricotta cheese OR fat free ricotta cheese (I used light ricotta)
1/2 cup reduced fat, grated parmesan cheese
1 egg OR 2 egg whites
salt and pepper
small yellow onion, diced
small green bell pepper, diced
1 large jar favorite pasta sauce (I used Muir Glen Organic Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce)
9 tablespoons part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a mixing bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper and stir together until blended well.
-In a 13x9 baking dish, place 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom and spread evenly.
-In a nonstick skillet, add the beef and brown until cooked through. Drain and return to the skillet. Add the onions and bell pepper and saute for an additional few minutes. Add the remainder of the pasta sauce to the skillet and simmer on low.
-Place cooked lasagna noodles on foil or wax paper in a single row. Make sure noodles have been drained well and are dry.
-Take 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and spread all the way down the cooked noodle. Repeat with remaining 8 lasagna noodles.
-Roll up each lasagna noodle, jelly roll style, and place seam side down in the baking dish.
-Ladle the meat/pasta sauce over the lasagna rolls and top each with some mozzarella cheese.
-Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
-Serve

Enjoy! :)