Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
45 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
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Servings
5
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Calories
553 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo
Description
Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo is a composed pasta dish made by spreading a spinach and ricotta-based filling on fresh lasagna sheets, rolling them up, and placing them upright in a skillet with a light tomato sauce. The sauce is prepared by sautéing garlic and onion before simmering with tomato passata, water, and optional basil. As the rotolo bakes, the lasagna sheets soak up the sauce’s liquid, creating a soft, tender texture throughout the rolls. The filling combines thawed spinach with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, garlic, and nutmeg for balanced creamy and earthy flavors.
The rolling technique ensures each piece has a consistent amount of filling and pasta, and baking in the sauce helps keep the rolls moist and flavorful. Drizzling reserved warm tomato sauce over the top before serving adds extra moisture and richness. This dish can be complemented by a simple green salad or crusty bread.
Storage and make-ahead tips note that the assembled rotolo freezes best before baking, with additional water added to the sauce to account for pasta hydration. After thawing, it requires a longer baking time covered with foil, then a final uncovered bake with cheese added for browning. Leftover baked rotolo should be reheated with moisture added to maintain softness. Using fresh, fridge-section lasagna sheets specifically sized for rolling ensures the best texture and ease of assembly.
Ingredients
- 8 - 10 lasagne sheet 15 x 11 cm/6 x 4.5") (Note 1, fresh
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for drizzling later)
Filling
- 500g / 1 lb spinach thawed and excess water squeezed out (Note 2, frozen, pre chopped
- 500 g / 1 lb ricotta cheese (NOT smooth, whipped or spreadable in tubs, Note 3)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese , shredded
- 1 garlic pressed using garlic crusher or finely grated, clove
- 1/4 nutmeg grated (or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder, fresh
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 onion , finely diced (brown, yellow, white)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 700 g / 24 oz tomato passata (US: Tomato puree) (Note 5)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- basil optional, handful, leaves
Instructions
Tomato Sauce:
- Heat oil in a 25cm/10" ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. (Note 6)
- Add garlic and sauté for 10 seconds then add onion.
- Cook onion until translucent and starting to turn golden, then passata, water, chilli flakes (if using), salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 5 minutes on medium low, then stir through basil. Should be quite thin - the lasagna sheets will absorb water while in the oven so sauce thickens alot in oven.
- Scoop out 1 cup of the Tomato Sauce which will be used to drizzle over the dish at the end. Keep sauce warm.
Filling & Assembling:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350CF (all oven types)
- Place Filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix well with wooden spoon.
- As per the photo & video, lay out the lasagne sheet with the shorter end in front of you.
- Place 1/3 cup (packed) of filling onto the lasagne sheet. Dab some water on the end furthest away from you (to seal the roll), then roll up starting from the end closest to you. Finish with the seal down.
- Cut rolls into 3 (so each piece is 3.5cm/1.5" wide). Place the rolls into the tomato sauce with the filling facing up.
- Repeat with remaining lasagna sheets until all the Filling is used up.
- Drizzle the reserved Tomato Sauce over (don't cover completely, leave some exposed).
- Cover loosely with foil, bake 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, remove foil. Drizzle with oil, top with mozzarella.
- Bake 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden and you've got some crunchy golden bits on the edges. Serve!
Notes
- Use fresh lasagne sheets from the fridge section for easier rolling and tender baked texture.
- Thawed spinach should be well-drained by squeezing out excess water before mixing into the filling.
- Avoid whipped or spreadable ricotta; use traditional ricotta for proper filling consistency.
- You can prepare and freeze the dish before baking; add extra water to sauce and bake longer when reheating from frozen.
- To reheat baked rotolo leftovers, add water to the sauce before warming to keep pasta soft and consider broiling with fresh cheese to refresh the topping.
- If fresh spinach is used, blanch and finely chop before squeezing excess water.
- Adjust baking vessel size by arranging rolled rotolo upright on a plate to estimate space needed.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 5Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 553 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 463g | |
| Calories | 553cal | 28% |
| Carbohydrates | 53.8g | 18% |
| Protein | 30.6g | 61% |
| Fat | 22.8g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat | 9.8g | 49% |
| Cholesterol | 93mg | 31% |
| Sodium | 952mg | 40% |
| Potassium | 537mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 3.9g | 16% |
| Sugar | 1.6g | 3% |
| Vitamin A | 6550IU | 131% |
| Vitamin C | 25.6mg | 28% |
| Calcium | 570mg | 57% |
| Iron | 2.9mg | 16% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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