Lasagna Rolls lose cream, keep richness

Is there anyone on earth who doesn’t like lasagna? Besides me, I mean.

Traditional lasagna, with its layers of rich cheeses, sauces and noodles, often strikes me as stodgy and dull. But the lasagna rolls version here is lighter, brighter and more interesting.

It’s adapted from an old Sunset magazine recipe; I think the original called for the lasagna rolls to be baked in whipping cream enriched with a jolt of pesto. I ate it that way precisely once; it was swooningly good.

So I stole the preparation style, added some spinach to up the nutrients, cut way back on the cheese and used tomato sauce instead of whipping cream to cover the rolls.

Pesto Lasagna Rolls

12 lasagna noodles

1 jar (26 ounces) pasta sauce or 3 cups homemade

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 jar (3 1/2 ounces) prepared pesto

1 egg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook lasagna noodles; drain.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 2 cups of the tomato sauce in bottom of a greased 13-by-9-inch pan. Combine garlic, ricotta, spinach, pesto, egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Place a lasagna noodle on a clean kitchen towel; spread 1/4 cup of the ricotta mixture on the noodle. Roll noodle up; place seam-side down in pan. Repeat with remaining noodles. Pour remaining tomato sauce over noodles; sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Uncover; cook until cheese is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 519 calories, 37 percent of calories from fat, 22 grams fat, 9 grans saturated fat, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 54 grams carbohydrates, 28 grams protein, 1,241 milligrams sodium, 3.8 grams fiber.