Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna Roll-Ups

One of my best friends is a vegetarian, and since moving to Charlotte, I see her WAY more often (one of the best parts about living here!). She is here for dinner a decent amount, and it’s been really fun coming up with vegetarian stuff to cook when she comes over.

This lasagna is seriously the ultimate vegetarian meal – it is loaded with flavor and comfort, and you’ll never miss the meat! I thoroughly enjoyed this more than my traditional meat sauce lasagna that I usually make because you make up for the lack of meat with some insane flavor in your delicious filling. For the filling, we saute some spinach in lots of garlic, making it creamy from the ricotta, hearty from the spinach, and so soooo flavorful and complex from that garlic. If you give me a garlicky meal, I’m going to be a large fan automatically.

Which you probs could guess from my blog title. Garlic is life. That is all.

There are several reasons why I love these lasagna roll-ups more than life. Shall we discuss? Let’s discuss. I am determined to convince you to make them as soon as humanly possible.

1. There is no meat, so it’s vegetarian friendly and makes your grocery budget way lower. We really like to try and cook vegetarian meals about half the time to save on groceries, and it’s amazing how much less we spend at the grocery store when we do this. The lack of meat is also just a fun new spin on the lasagna you’re used to stuffing yourself with eating on the reg.
2. The flavor. The main flavor we’ve got goin’ on here comes from our filling. To make the filling, we saute three cloves of garlic (or more if you like to live dangerously 😏) in a little bit of olive oil, throw in your spinach just until it wilts, and then throw this whole mixture into a bowl. To this, you’re going to stir in some chopped basil leaves, ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, and an egg. I mean…if that doesn’t sound heavenly then I don’t know what will. Tender spinach; rich, melty cheese; deep, complex garlic flavor; fresh basil…it’s just all swoon worthy in every sense of the word.
3. The roll-up-ness. We’re going to roll with that gross misuse of the English language that just happened…it’s fine. Lasagna roll-ups are one of my all time favorite things to make. They are just so dang satisfying. They roll up into these perfect little single serving packages that fit snugly into your lasagna dish like a dream. They just are satisfying and adorable – that’s all there is to it.

I’m going to stop rambling here before I get too deep, because I’ve already made this too lengthy! To sum it up…these are life…make them immediately…especially if you want to cook a yummy meal for a vegetarian friend.

Speaking of food, I have to tell you about something I’m super excited for. It’s going to signal my dangerously high level of domesticated mom-ness, so strap in. Ford (our 1 1/2 year old) is OBSESSED with helping me cook. Which I love, even though it can be a lot at times when he’s constantly tugging at me while I’m cooking, but I still love it. I usually put him up in his high chair next to me and give him some spoons and little things to stir around in a bowl, but he super extra loves when I hold him and he stirs the actual food that is cooking on the stove top.

Because of this, I’ve been wanting to get him a little kitchen for FOREVER but haven’t yet because we just moved across the country, which comes with lots of expenses. I finally gave in last week and ordered him one on Amazon, though, and it comes in tooooddaaayy!

I ordered a bag of food toys (the ones that have Velcro in the middle and you “cut” them apart with the little toy knives), and those came in yesterday. He. Is. Obsessed. He loves them so much, which makes me even more excited for the kitchen to get in today.

I desire so strongly for my kids to grow up with a love of cooking, because I think raising adults who love to cook and don’t see it as a chore is one of the most valuable life skills you can give. You have to cook for yourself or your family at least once a day for the most part, and I’d much rather them find joy from that rather than dreading it like another household chore.

Anyway, I’ll let you know how it turns out with the kitchen 💃🏻. For now, let’s get back to this lasagna!

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If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries so I can see!

In the mood for more lasagna goodness? Check these out:

Crock Pot Lasagna Soup

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups

Absolute Easiest, No-Fuss Lasagna