This perfectly proportioned pasta dish will make your taste buds sing!
Skinny Lasagna Rolls are filled with delicious, traditional Italian ingredients including flavorful herbs and spices. This healthy alternative to traditional lasagna is low-calorie, making it easier than ever to stick to the fitness plan. Make this tasty dish ahead of time, and keep them in the freezer for a healthy recipe that pleases the whole family.
Did you know that Skinny Lasagna Rolls won the Joyful Cook-Off on the Today Show’s Kathie Lee & Hoda! Gale Compton created this recipe to encourage others to eat healthier and smaller portions, while at the same time enjoying the taste of traditional lasagna.
Skinny Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
- 10 whole wheat lasagna noodles cooked to al dente (about 8 minutes), well drained
- 24 ounces marinara sauce jar, no sugar added
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups baby spinach loosely packed and chopped well
- 1 cup ricotta cheese low-fat
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella part-skim, shredded
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese low-fat, small curd if possible
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- kosher or sea salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add 1 1/4 cups marinara to a 13" x 9" x 2" casserole dish.
- In a large skillet, add oil and heat to medium-low heat. Saute garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped spinach and saute until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine garlic, spinach, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, cottage cheese, egg white, oregano, salt and pepper.
- On a work surface, lined with parchment paper, arrange lasagna noodles flat, add 1/4 cup cheese and spinach mixture to each noodle, spread evenly to cover noodles. Start rolling the noodle at the end closest to you. Place lasagna rolls seam side down, not quite touching, in the prepared casserole dish. Evenly spread 1 cup marinara over rolls, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes, or until cheese is hot and bubbly. If desired, serve rolls with additional heated marinara.
Nutrition Information
Have you made this recipe?
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I can't wait to try this one out! How do you calculate the nutritional info? For instance, I'd use Smart Balance spray for the garlic, instead of the olive oil. How would I recalculate the recipe's nutrition info?
Niki, We use nutritiondata.self.com
These were easy to make and very good!!
This recipe is so yummy and easy! Family loves pasta!
Mine is in the oven right now. It actually made about 12 rolls for me. I was able to make 3 little pans of 4 so 2 pans are in the freezer for a busy night. Awesome!
Delicious! One of the rare dishes everyone in the house can agree on. We froze the leftovers individually, and they make wonderful quick, single-serving meals! Will be making again!
Made these for dinner tonight. They turned out awesome! Yummmm
Have not made this yet but they look yummy and I definitely will!
Easy to make and yummy to eat. Love it!
The first time I made these, they were better the 2nd night, as most pasta dishes are. So when I made them for lunch last week, I prepped them the night before. So easy and everyone loves them. I don't care for spinach, but love this recipe. The kids have no idea they are getting a good dose of veggies in this dish. 😉
i would like to leave out the spinach. what could i use instead, broccoli?
Rebekah, Sure, broccoli, (cooked) ground turkey or just about any veggie. I would recommend first chopping any veggie very finely. Keep us posted, can wait to hear the results! 🙂
I changed a few things for our family. I knew my kids wouldn't touch it with spinach so I just left it out. Also used my spaghetti sauce recipe instead of marinara. It was really good and the kids liked it, too. When I entered it into myfitnesspal, it came out to significantly lower than what you have posted here. I wish I had cooked more noodles because I still had filling left over. Not sure what I'll do with that.
I am making this tonight for my family with spinach and mushrooms. We are trying to eat cleaner than we have in the past… but its a slow process to adjust everyone's tastes. For example, I bought our usual spaghetti sauce instead of the no sugar added or making it at home. Thankfully, I can individualize to everyone's tastes by adding more veggies as I go and can add more veggies! Thanks for the great idea/recipe!!
A house favorite! I just made a double batch so there would be several to grab and microwave or a quick, easy lunch or dinner later on.
Would these freeze ok? I'd like to make a batch a stick them in my freezer for after our new baby arrives.
Tonya, A lot of people report they work great after being frozen.
I have made these before and frozen them individually without sauce. Then I put them in a gallon freezer bag and take them out as needed depending on how many people I am feeding that night. You can just put them in a dish frozen, pour sauce on top, and bake!
Do you freeze them before or after you cook these??
I’m so excited to try this awesome, smart thinking recipe!!
Thanks~🤗
No need to freeze these before cooking unless you’re prepping them to use at a later time.
How long do you freeze before putting in a freezer bag? I put them on a cookie sheet and not sure how long to leave them in.
Sue, Freeze the rolls as soon as they are assembled. When you’re ready to serve them, remove from the freezer and place in the casserole dish, cover, and thaw in the fridge. Remember, never thaw at room temperature.
What if you take out the cottage cheese? What can you substitute for that?
Jenn, Sub with additional low-fat ricotta or mozzarella.
What are the nutrition facts on this? It looks delicious!!
Thanks Holly! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
made these tonight and they were fabulous! I'll be putting them into our dinner rotation! just yummy
If you freeze these, how long do they need to cook?
Frances, The same amount of time because it’s best to allow them to thaw out before cooking. Just transfer to the refrigerator the day before cooking to allow time to thaw.
Says 10 servings, but no indication of how much one serving is.
DAS, One roll is a serving.
A serving is one roll.
so is it 240 cal per serving? right?
Nicola, Yes, one roll is 240 calories.
We don't like ricotta cheese. Can I just use more cottage cheese?
Jen, Definitely…that’s also yummy! Sometimes I use only cottage cheese.
This was fantastic! Even my husband enjoyed it – who isn't the most excited about meatless Mondays. Also, we used arugula instead of spinach and it was so good!
Melissa, Thanks so much for letting us know. Substituting with arugula is a great idea. 🙂
What about using eggplant instead of lasagna noodles to make a rolitini?
Shannon, Go for it! 🙂
Made this for summer tonight, never had any diet food that tasted so good
You're welcome! Great ideas!
What are the directions from heating them after they've been frozen?
You would heat them the same way but reduce the cooking temperature by 25 degrees and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes longer.
Does substituting ground turkey or chicken for the ricotta cheese change the pts value per serving?
Sharon, Yes that will add 1 pt to the points value.
Do I cook them thoroughly and then freeze or freeze before cooking??
Katie, Bake them first, cool to room temperature and then freeze. You can find the exact directions for how to freeze Skinny Ms. Lasagna Rolls in this article: https://skinnyms.com/30-recipes-that-freeze-fabulo…
It is not clear how to freeze and then reheat. 1) do you bake and cool and then freeze; 2) do you need to thaw in fridge overnight; 3) do you reheat in the oven, if so what temp snd for how long; 4) do you cover with foil when reheating???
Karen, I recommend preparing the recipe then freezing. You’ll want to defrost in the fridge before baking. You can reheat in the over. I reheat at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.This is, of course, if they have already been baked once.
You can substitute shredded zucchini for the spinach.
This recipe is a keeper, they turned out great. First I made a batch for my 8 year old and she loved it. I made two more batches to give my folks for Christmas gifts (I froze it after cooking).
You lost me at Ragu.
Made this tonight, and both my husband and 17 year old son approved! I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
I made them and I love it
If I want to make a bigger batch and freeze some, do I put it in the oven and cook fully then freeze or freeze right before I would put in oven?
Bake the larger batch, and then set aside the rolls you want to freeze. Wrap each serving in plastic wrap and place in a layer in a resealable freezer bag or airtight, freezer-safe container. They are already in individual portion sizes, which means they can be unwrapped and put straight into the oven from the freezer, in a baking dish. They should heat evenly and won’t take too long to warm up. You can also reheat in the microwave.
It says to be sure & watch the video. Where do I see it?
Hi Margi,
It’s my video, just below the recipe.
thank you for a nice dish, what can i use instead of ricotta
I would use 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese if you prefer not to use ricotta. 🙂
This was delicious! I used plain yogurt instead of cottage cheese and just a little ricotta cheese. I also added 99% lean ground turkey to add more protein. Because I could not find whole wheat lasagna I used whole wheat linguine and it became more like a traditional lasagna…I had two layers of sauce, linguine then cheese. It stayed together perfectly. My husband and I both loved it and now we have dinner for the next couple nights!
Thanks so much for sharing! We’re happy you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
On Weight Watchers how many smart points would this recipe have in it?
This recipe is worth 9 SmartPoints. SmartPoints are listed as part of our nutritional data on each recipe.
I’ve got this all ready to rock and roll for the week – can’t wait! I’ve made the Skinnytaste version a few times but always sub some of the ricotta for cottage cheese because I find low/no fat ricotta to be grainy and depressing. I love that you’ve incorporated whole wheat noodles, fresh spinach, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese to the goodness inside!
We think you’ll love them, Michelle! Please let us know what you think. 🙂
Can’t wait to try these this weekend! Do you think they could be assembled the day before and kept in the pan in the refrigerator and then baked the next day?
Emily, Definitely! 🙂
I absolutely LOVE these lil guys! So easy to make (and fun!) and even my meat-loving boyfriend says it’s one of his favorite dinners I make. Dare I even say they’re even yummier out the freezer!? Thanks for this awesome recipe!!
Casey, GREAT! Thanks so much for the nice comment. 🙂
Deelish! My finicky 14 year old loved the recipe and just informed me that he doesn’t really like meat lasagne anyway! I’ve always made it just for him,lol! I have to admit, even though I’m a pretty good cook, I made the filling too loose and I was afraid it wouldn’t stay in place when I “rolled”, so I resorted to a lasagne tray. All’s well that ends well! It was a most delicious lasagne! Thank you so much for sharing!
Georgia, Thanks so much for the feedback, happy your family enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Could you replace noodles with slice of zucchini or squash?
Sure, Cara! Zucchini, squash, or eggplant should work.
Can these be frozen and reheated at a later time?
Hi Cat, you could definitely freeze and re-heat the lasagna rolls! I would recommend slightly under cooking them and reheating in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until hot.
I made these in my dorm room and cooked them in the toaster oven. They were great! So easy to make and much more filling than I would have imagined
Froze half of them for later
These are delicious. I also make them with eggplant (aubergines) Just as yummie. Using eggplant you can skip the fiddly bits and make an eggplant lasagne.
Joyce, Thank you so much for the suggestion. Your version is on my menu for the weekend. 🙂
These are delicious! I have made this 3 times for the same people in my neighborhood, and they always love them. Lots of oohs and awws when eating them. I follow the recipe but choose not to include garlic. I do have a pot of marinara sauce to put on top of the rolls. I usually add some sausage to the extra sauce . These are wonderful because they are small and easily seen as a portion per roll. Most people serve themselves 2 rolls. So, when I am feeding 6 people, I double the recipe or increase everything by 1.5 so everyone can have 2 rolls. Plus, I will have a few to send home with people.
This is absolutely delicious and you can not tell it’s “skinny” at all. Even the biggest eaters love these.
I use one large organic container of fresh spinach . This amount easily make 15-20 rolls.
Kathy, Thank you so much for the feedback and tips for serving more people. So happy you enjoyed the recipe. I love it too! 🙂
This is a good recipe. My question, can you put it all together in the morning refrigerate all day then bake later in the day for dinner.? Thanks
Elizabeth, You sure can, I do it all the time. 🙂
One roll doesn’t seem like enough to be filling. What would you serve this with?
Any green vegetable on the side would be delicious!
This looks yummy!
This was excellent for a “skinny recipe”. I added a block of frozen spinach Instead of using fresh spinach. It reminded me more of my manicotti recipe than my lasagne recipe though and so much easier. What a great idea to freeze individual portions and take out as needed. Thanks for sharing.
We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Could this be done in an instant pot or slow cooker? What adjustments would be needed?
Hmmmm…you could, but it would only take a couple of minutes in the instant pot and maybe 15 in the slow cooker.
I have been making these for about 4 years and am so thankful for the recipe! Here are some things we’ve learned making this over the years:
To add more protein we will occasionally add ground beef or ground turkey. I’ve also made a chicken Alfredo version with white sauce over top and chicken within the rolls.
I also sometimes add veggies to the inside, usually sautéed bell pepper or mushroom.
These are great for parties or large dinners.
We like to cook our rolls “touching” instead of spaced out.
I add fresh basil on top at the end.
Remember to oil your water and oil your lasagna noodles because they will stick together terribly in the smallest amount of time.
I add Italian seasonings to my cheese mixture.
Susan, Thank you so much for the feedback and tips for other readers. Please leave a review if possible.
Recipes look great!
This was a winner !! My husband and daughter say 11 out of 10 ! It will now be in regular rotation here !
Thank you so much for the feedback.
amazing!
Really tasty!!! I will definitely be making this again!!!
Loved this recipe! A great take on lasagna and very easy to make.
Thanks for the feedback, Mandy! We’re glad you enjoyed it 🙂
We love making these! My 12 yo helps roll them up 😊 I’ve made this several times now and the whole family (including our 6 yo) loves them! Thanks for the recipe ❤️
YEAH! Thanks for the feedback.
Made this for the first time and it was delicious!!! I added mushrooms in addition to spinach and hubby loved it!! So easy but oh soo good!! Definitely will make again soon!!!
Maria, YEAH! I love getting feedback. I’m so happy hubby loved it too. Also, thank you for the mushroom idea. 🙂