Baked Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne Roll-Ups in Italian Girelle or Rondelle Ricotta e Spinaci, are  a very nice  and special dish. Not so complicate to make but time consuming for the various steps. At the end the dish has a very special look, kind of “waw you’re so good at cooking” and it’s perfect for invitation. So you’re wondering why now with the hot season we think of it: simply because it’s holiday time for many people so invitation time or free time. Let’s consider you can freeze this dish and  bake it when necessary .

You can even prepare it now in a large quantity and use it for Winter parties.

The recipe we give here is to reasonably feed 8 persons but consider that it’s always so difficult to know how many rondelle /slices people are going to eat.
Ingredients:

5 eggs
500 g = 4 cups flour00/all purpose/plain flour
5 tbsp. EVOO

a pinch of salt

For the filling

375 g =1.5 US cup ricotta cheese
225 g = 1 cup chopped steamed spinach( you can cook fresh ones or use frozen ones)
50g  = ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 eggs

Salt/pepper /nutmeg

For the sauce

tomato purée 750 gr= 2 cups

EVOO 2 tbsp.

1 onion

Salt / black pepper

Tools

Spoons

Bowls

Rolling pin

Oven paper

Cooking string

Mezzaluna

Large pot for cooking

Oven tray

knife

Preparation

  • Prepare a normal egg pasta dough  mixing in a bowl the eggs , flour, oil and salt. 
  • Knead it till it is smooth.
  • Let the dough rest covered for at least 10 minutes.
  • Prepare the filling: mix ricotta cheese, chopped spinach, Parmigiano, salt and nutmeg
  • Roll out the dough into 4 squares – 30 cm square = 11/12 inches square.
  • Get the oven paper wet, squeeze it well. Put the dough square on it.
  • Spread the filling on it
  • Roll it and wrap the roll in the paper and close the side with string.
  • Cook it in salted boiling water for 20 minutes.
  • Drain, let cool 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare a tomato sauce: cook half onion with 2 tbs. oil and add the tomato purée , salt and a little pepper.
  • Remove the roll from the parchmenpaper and cut it into 2 cm= 1 inch slices.
  • Place the slices on a baking tray, pour onto the tomato sauce and a little of parmigiano  

Cook au gratin in the oven at 200 C°/400 F° for 10 minutes. Grill in the oven to form that tasty crust that we always like in baked pasta and that releases a delicious aroma

Ready to be served !

Tips:remember that pasta dough can be prepared with Gluten Free flour and the ricotta in the filling can be substituded with a lactose free soft cheese.