Skipping the meat, ricotta, and a trip to the grocery store with a home pantry, vegetarian version of winter time Italian comfort food. Pass the vino fam!

“Maybachs on ‘ bachs, on ‘bachs, on ‘bachs… [Lasagna with stacks on stacks on stacks]” – Kanye in the kitchen cooking these Veggie Lasagna Roll Ups… probably.

I got what you need, what-what you need. That is if you’re looking for comforting food to keep you cozy and warm during these trying winter times. It is the second week of January and it has snowed about 4x already in the Metropolitan Washington D.C. area. With temps hitting the teens, I’m over it. However, the beauty of these snow days is staying indoors and watching the beauty of Mother Nature outside. Usually for me, that means: good food, good wine, good TV, and… not getting out of the house.

You’d be surprised with what you can do with things in your house to entertain and feed yourself, and this recipe is just that.

Traditionally, lasagna actually originated from Greece. Italy adopted it overtime to make it their own where flat noodles are Northern Italian, and ruffled edged noodles are Southern Italian. While I can’t claim to make the OG, it’s fun to do variations on this classic. Instead of spending times doing stacks and layers, to save time – you can still roll it up and create the layering affect!

Taking pantry staples (boxed noodles, jarred sauce, seasonings) and marrying them to all those random veggies you have in that one drawer in the fridge to create the ultimate (and $ saving) comfort food. Buon Appetito!

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PREP: 20 minutes
TOTAL: 40 minutes
YIELD: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Lasagna Noodles, cooked per box instructions
• 6 cups Marinara or Tomato based Pasta Sauce (store bought or homemade!)
• 1 cup small diced Red or Yellow Onion
• 2 cups small diced White Button or Portabella Mushroom
• 1.5 cups frozen Chopped Spinach
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 Thai Green Chilies or 1 Jalapeno, minced (optional)
• 1 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tbsp. Dried Oregano
• 1/2 tbsp. Dried Basil
• 1/2 tbsp. Salt (or to taste)
• 3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Olive Oil  

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a sauté pan over medium-to-low heat, heat up 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add diced red onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
3. Add in diced mushrooms, garlic, and Thai green chilies. Sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in chopped spinach and tomato paste. Cook additional 2 minutes.
5. Sprinkle in crushed red pepper, ground black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, an salt. Mix veggies and seasonings together until incorporated. Adjust seasonings as needed, cooking for 1-2 minutes. A little water will release during cooking process. Turn off heat, and put mixture aside.
6. In a 8×8 baking tray, pour 2 cups of pasta sauce on bottom and spread. Save the rest.
7. On separate tray, lay out all 6 cooked lasagna noodles. Evenly distribute veggie mixture and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese on every noodle until all used up. Spoon a layer of pasta sauce across each noodle on top.
8. Carefully roll up the filled lasagna noodles until spiral shape, and put seam side down in baking tray. Pour any remaining pasta sauce on top of rolls.
9. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
10. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese starts to melt and bubble.
11. Serve and enjoy! 

#TashTip: Add in any other types of veggie like peppers or broccoli for a more filling or “meatier” veggie lasagna roll up. Trial by error, this dish pairs well with Chardonnay!