As I was cleaning off my desktop last night and backing up the remaining files from 2010, I found a folder called “Dinner Blog”. I cooked and documented this dinner Pioneer Woman style way back in September with the intention of marking another goal off of my 38 in 365 project. Instead of craving foods as my pregnancy has progressed, I have become increasingly repulsed by a growing list. The main culprit is ground beef. I normally love me some home cooked hamburgers or spaghetti with meat sauce, but now just the thought gets me a little queasy. I think that is why I haven’t posted this blog until now.
When I added #11. Make Dinner from Scratch to my 38 in 365 project I thought it would be an easy one to complete. Afterall, we rarely eat out and take full advantage of all our kitchen has to offer. But it turns out, I am way less domestic than I pretend to be and rarely cook a homemade meal from scratch that is worth telling anyone about. One morning I was eating breakfast and watching the Today Show when a recipe caught my attention. Before I knew it, I was at Publix buying the ingredients to make dinner.
Ingredients
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 cup soft herbed cheese (such as Boursin or Alouette)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
I chose to add the ground beef and spinach to give it a little something extra. I think it would also be good with grilled chicken or as a veggie dish.
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. For some reason I always miss this step and end up turning the oven on about the time I’m going to need it.
Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.
While the noodles are cooking, brown some lean ground beef. If you are 33 weeks pregnant, try not to gag at the sight.
I am terrible at multi-tasking in the kitchen, but ideally, you’d mix together the herbed cheese and mozzarella while the other things are cooking. This usually doesn’t work out so well for me and then I end up in a panic because too many things are ready at the same time!
Somewhere in the midst of the chaos, chop spinach. I really love spinach (which is kind of odd because I’m a really picky eater). The spinach will wilt and shrink even if you don’t chop it, but it spreads more evenly if you do. You’ll see what I mean in a second.
When the lasagna noodle were finished cooking and drained, the next step in my directions said, “Arrange lasagna noodles on a flat surface.” I was afraid they’d be really sticky, so I used some aluminum foil and PAM spray to lay them out. (Notice at this point, the oven hasn’t even been turned on yet. Oops!)
I added the cooked and drained ground beef to my cheese mixture. It looks gross, but it was really good!
Evenly distribute the cheese mixture onto the lasagna noodles and then spread into a thin layer.
Gently roll up each noodle and place into a pan coated with cooking spray. It would help to secure it with a toothpick, but I didn’t have any. Placing them open side down works just the same.
Pour tomato sauce liberally over the top. It disappears while cooking, so don’t be shy.
Sprinkle Parmesean cheese over the top. For extra measure I added a bunch more mozzarella cheese to the top too.
Bake 20-25 minutes until cheese filling melts. This is probably the point that I realized I needed to preheat my oven.
The top was supposed to be golden brown, but because we added so much extra cheese, we had to broil it at the end. Be so careful with the broiler, because it only takes about five seconds to go from golden brown to charcoal black.
If my memory serves me correctly, this was a really good meal. I need to revisit it as a chicken dish, but would definitely recommend you try it. A bonus is that it is really easy to make. If I can juggle the process while taking photos, anyone can. I’m no Martha Stewart, but we had a nice home cooked meal, and I marked yet another item off my list!
Ingredients
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 cup soft herbed cheese (such as Boursin or Alouette)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
• Preheat oven to 375º F. Coat a shallow baking pan with cooking spray.
• Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine herbed cheese and mozzarella. Mix well.
• Arrange lasagna noodles on a flat surface.
• Spoon a thin layer (about 1/4-inch thick) of cheese mixture onto each noodle.
• Starting from the shorter side, roll up noodles and secure with wooden picks.
• Place rolls side-by-side in prepared pan and pour over tomato sauce.
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese filling melts and top is golden brown.
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Get in touch with Amanda | View Amanda’s Portfolio | Friend Amanda on Facebook | Follow Amanda on Twitter | Subscribe to the Blog
by Amanda
18 comments