Spinach and Cheese Pasta Rolls - Perfect Meal for a Rainy Day

It's been a rainy 24 hours, the boys were on their way home from school/activities and I needed a quick and easy meal for everyone.  We all need a few "go to" dishes and this is one I use over and over.  Nothing exotic, just good 'ol comfort food.  It's a "veggie" dish so you can add a meat on the side if you want. Prep time is about 20 minutes and cook time is around 30 min. so you can have dinner on the table in no time.

• Homemade Marinara.
• 1 large can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes.
• 1 med can of tomato sauce.
• 1/2 large onion, finely copped.
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 t. of each - basil, thyme, oregano.
• 2 T. sugar
• heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in dutch oven.  Add onion and cook on medium until soft.  Add garlic and be careful not to burn.  Next, all the other ingredients go in.  Simmer for 10 to 15 min and season with s/p.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add plenty of salt.
• Place 6 to 8 lasagna noodles in the water and cook until al dente.  Drain and lay flat.
• While the water is boiling make the filling.

• 1 box of spinach.  Make sure you drain well and squeeze out all the liquid.
• 1 carton of Ricotta cheese or 2 cups of cottage cheese.
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
• 1 beaten
• season with salt and pepper.
• Mix well.  When I use cottage cheese, I process the mixture with my handy dandy hand blender for a smoother consistency.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• In a casserole dish, add about 1/2 of sauce.
• Lay out noodles and cut each in half.

• Spoon filling down the middle of the noodle and roll up. 
• Place, seam side down in the baking dish.
• Spoon remaining sauce over the rolls and top with 1/2 cup of each - Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  Add more cheese if you want...that's what I do.
• Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
• Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

It might look like there's a lot going on with this dish, but not really.  It's easy and the preparation goes really fast.  This casserole makes enough for dinner plus a couple of lunches the next day.  We love leftovers around here and these rolls really hit the spot.

So, take off your rain boots and hang up your slicker.  Cook something gooey, cheesy and comforting.  It's amazing what a good mood everyone will be in after spending time at the dinner table with yummy food....
Counting my blessings.