FYI, April came up with tonight's entry title :) April has been craving marinara and we found this lasagna-type recipe that looked like it would do the trick! Suzanne brought over a simple salad and the homemade rolls, and it made for a tasty dinner - definitely one to add to the repetoire!
Turkey and Spinach Lasagna Rolls
from WeightWatchers Online
-6 items dry lasagna noodles
-1 tsp olive oil-1/2 pound uncooked ground turkey breast-1 medium onion, chopped-1 bell pepper, yellow, seeded and finely chopped-16 oz marinara sauce, refrigerated, fresh-1/3 cup water-1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese-5 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry-1/4 cup basil, chopped fresh-2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese-1 large egg, lightly beaten-1/8 tsp ground nutmeg-1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles and lay them flat on wax paper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, onion, and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until all the pan juices evaporate and the turkey browns, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the marinara sauce and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened and the flavors blend, about 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, spinach, basil, Parmesan, egg, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Spread the ricotta mixture over the length of each noodle and roll up from one short end.Spread half of the turkey mixture in the bottom of an 8 x 12-inch baking dish. Add the rolls. Top with the remaining turkey mixture.
Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake until heated through and the top is golden, about 10 minutes longer.
April: We made 10 rolls instead of 6. I personally thought the nutmeg would be weird... LOVED IT! The yellow bell pepper, which I also thought was going to be strange, was a perfect way to sneak a veggie into this dinner. Not that Alden ate it anyways but we did. It is a process though so be warned. Maybe more like a Saturday or Sunday evening dinner for those working parents out there. This was a bit much.... and I prepped the onion, yellow pepper, turkey and spinach mix early to boot. This would be fun to do with children over 3.... you get your hands messy and squishy in the spinach!!!
Suz: So, while we were making this, Maggie decided she wanted to nurse and I became in charge of getting the lasagna rolls into the oven. I didn't double check the recipe, so I did not put the aluminum foil over the pan. This resulted in the sauce drying out - totally my fault!
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Suzanne's recipe:
I found this recipe for Tomato Herb Rolls in an old WW cookbook I got from the library. The points values were totally messed up, but I recalculated the recipe and figured I'd try it tonight (according to the cookbook, there is 1 point in each roll - according to my calculations, there are 3 - a big difference!). I actually made these rolls on Sunday, since the dough needs to rise twice. We reheated them tonight while the lasagna rolls baked.
Tomato-Herb Rolls-12 medium sun-dried tomatoes, without oil, halves (I found these at the Co-Op for pretty cheap)
-1 envelope yeast-2 cups boiling water
-1 1/4 c lukewarm for the yeast-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour-1 1/2 tsp table salt-2 tsp rosemary, minced-2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped-1/2 tsp ground oregano-1/4 tsp black pepper-1 egg white, plus 2 teaspoons of water
In a small bowl, pour the 2 cups of boiling water over the tomatoes. Let stand about 5 minutes. Drain well.
In another small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube just until the dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth and no longer sticky, about 30 times.
Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray; place the dough in the bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume, about an hour.
Punch down the dough; lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour. Turn out the dough; knead in the tomatoes, herbs and pepper until they are evenly distributed. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, forming each into an oval with tapered ends.
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; place the rolls 3" apart on the sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or damp cloth and let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake on the center oven rack about 20 minutes; brush with the egg white. Bake until the rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the baking sheet and cool completely on a rack.
Suz: I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, with the possible exception of the rosemary. I was worried that it might overpower the rolls, so I went a little shy of the 2 teaspoons called for. Next time, I'll put all of the rosemary, if not a little bit more, in the dough. This basic dough recipe was so easy, and I definitely plan on changing up some of the mix-ins - maybe I'll do garlic and thyme next time and leave out the tomatoes. Also next time I make something at home, I need to remember to pull out the camera to get some good shots like we got for the lasagna!
April: They were quite tasty!!! I ate too many and now I have paid for it in my inability to move.
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We got out the fancy wooden salad bowls, so even though it's nothing new, we took pretty pictures of the simple salad anyway! Next week is Labor Day, and the plan is to have a cook out and do new food for that! Of course, we'll have to include some old standbys too, lest we scare the guests!
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