Creamy Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with Tuna
Chill air makes me want to bake all the comfort food. I just love getting festive, especially in the kitchen! When I’m wanting something cozy and comforting for the family, I’m usually looking for an indulgent pasta dish to make! These Creamy Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with Tuna were completely unexpected, in the best way! The ricotta, garlic, and spinach filling with that little bit of lemon juice – oh, it was so good. The tuna blends right into the filling, adding protein and richness without overpowering those classic lasagna flavors. With that deep tomato, Italian-seasoning spiced sauce drizzled over the roll ups – it was phenomenal. Budget friendly and perfect for a warm family dinner!
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Where did the idea for lasagna roll ups come from?
Lasagna roll ups have a fun backstory. Lasagna is a traditional Italian dish, but lasagna roll ups are actually an American creation!
They basically evolved from lasagna but then took on their own bite-sized, appetizer-worthy spin. They’re still just as good for meal prepping and freezing and maybe even a little bit easier to make than the traditional layered, gooey pan-version.
Did you know?
Canned tuna was basically invented on accident! In 1903, a man named Albert P. Halfhill who owned a California cannery, seemed to be striking out on sardine catching. With all of his cans empty, he started stuffing them with Albacore tuna instead. This really blew up – people loved it! And he just never stopped pumping these cans of tuna out.
It was promoted as “chicken of the sea” and marketed as being great for people who didn’t like strong seafood flavors but still wanted some seafood taste. People also loved the affordability, shelf life, and convenience.
What ingredients do I need to make this?
For the sauce:
Olive Oil
Yellow Onion
Garlic
Tomato Paste
Paprika
Italian Seasoning
Canned Crushed Tomatoes
Salt
Black Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
For the creamy spinach lasagna roll ups with tuna:
Lasagna Noodles
Canned White Tuna
Whole Milk Ricotta
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Egg
Garlic
Spinach
Basil
Italian Seasoning
Lemon Juice
Salt
Black Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
For serving:
Parmesan
Parsley
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Lemon Juice
What equipment do I need?
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Juicer
- Large Skillet
- Stockpot
- Strainer
- Baking Sheets
- Cheese Grater
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Aluminum Foil
How do I make it?
To prep the ingredients:
To get started on this recipe, first let’s prep the ingredients.
Peel and finely dice an onion. Mince up the garlic for the sauce, then grate the garlic for the filling and set those off to the side separately. Finely chop the spinach and basil, shred the parmesan, and juice half a lemon.
Next, let’s get started on the sauce.
To make the sauce:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil for the sauce on medium. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Next, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, and Italian seasoning, then cook for about a minute.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the rest of the seasonings for the sauce, bringing the mixture to a simmer.
Simmer uncovered, for several minutes, stirring occasionally.
While it’s simmering, let’s boil the lasagna noodles!
To prep the pasta:
Get out a large stockpot and fill it with salted water. Boil the lasagna noodles until almost al dente, about a minute less.
Drain, then add in a single layer to some lightly oiled baking sheets.
Pro Tip: This stops the noodles from drying out and sticking together!
To make the filling:
Get out a large mixing bowl then add the drained cans of tuna, ricotta, some of the shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese, the egg, grated garlic cloves, chopped spinach and basil, and all of the seasonings and lemon juice.
Stir to combine.
Pro Tip: Don’t overmix here – we really want those big chunks of tuna to stand out!
To make the creamy spinach lasagna roll ups with tuna:
Preheat the oven to 375°F, then grease a 9×13 baking pan.
Spoon some of the sauce into the dish, spreading it out on the bottom of the pan with the back of a spoon.
Generously spread each noodle with filling, then from the short side, roll them up tightly.
Place the roll ups seam side down in the pan, nestling them in the sauce.
Repeat with remaining noodles and filling, rolling and pushing the filling in carefully if you need to as you roll them tightly.
Spoon the rest of the sauce around and partially over the rolls, but not completely covering.
Pro Tip: We want to see those beautiful ridges and filling popping out here!
Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Loosely cover with foil and bake. After a while, remove from the oven, remove the foil and bake a bit longer, until the cheese has melted.
Broil on high for a minute or so, until cheese has a nice golden-brown hue.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes so everything inside can set!
To serve:
Serve the tuna lasagna roll ups with freshly shredded parmesan, minced parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, and fresh lemon juice on top. Enjoy!
Tips:
- If you’re not feeling the tuna, you can just skip it! You could also substitute with ground Italian sausage.
- Love a white sauce? Try making this with my brown butter alfredo sauce instead!
- These creamy spinach lasagna roll ups will keep for 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months!
Love all the baked pastas?
Looking for more unique recipes using canned tuna?
Creamy Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with Tuna
Equipment
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion finely diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 – 28 oz Canned Crushed Tomatoes
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
For the creamy spinach lasagna roll ups with tuna:
- 12 Lasagna Noodles
- 2 – 5 oz Cans White Tuna drained very well
- 1 ½ cups Whole Milk Ricotta
- 1 ½ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese divided
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese freshly shredded, divided
- 1 Egg
- 2 Garlic Cloves grated
- 2 cups Spinach finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Basil chopped
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
For serving:
- Parmesan freshly shredded
- Parsley minced
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
To prep the ingredients:
- To get started on this recipe, first prep all of your ingredients, getting your mise en place set up!
To make the sauce:
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil for the sauce on medium.
- Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Next, stir in the tomato paste, paprika, and Italian seasoning, then cook for about a minute, to deepen the tomato flavor.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the rest of the seasonings for the sauce, then bring to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. While it's simmering, let's boil the lasagna noodles!
To prep the pasta:
- Get out a large stockpot and fill it with salted water.
- Boil the lasagna noodles according to package instructions, until almost al dente, about a minute less.
- Drain, then add in a single layer to some lightly oiled baking sheets.
To make the filling:
- Get out a large mixing bowl then add all of the ingredients for the filling, besides 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan, stirring to combine.
To make the creamy spinach lasagna roll ups with tuna:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, then grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- Spoon about 1 cup of sauce into the dish, spreading it out on the bottom of the pan with the back of a spoon.
- Generously spread each noodle with filling, then from the short side, roll them up, placing them seam side down in the pan and nestling them into the sauce.
- Repeat with remaining noodles and filling, rolling and carefully pushing the filling in if needed as you tightly roll them.
- Spoon the rest of the sauce around and partially over the rolls, but not completely covering.
- Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan then loosely cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer, until the cheese has melted.
- Broil on high for 1-2 minutes, until cheese has a nice golden-brown hue, then remove from the oven.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes so everything inside can set!
To serve:
- Serve the tuna lasagna roll ups with freshly shredded parmesan, minced parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, and fresh lemon juice on top. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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Wow ok so I used to eat Lasanga Rolls up a lot in college but they were processed and frozen. Trying this dish fresh sounds really good. Thanks for this recipe!
I’m so glad you like it! Enjoy!