Time for another one of Mr. FvF's favorites! I think this was the first meal I ever cooked for him and it became a regular, then I realized I hadn't made it since starting the blog. His solution? Well, he says I can't keep these things from my readers. Olive Garden thought they were pioneering some shit when they put these on the market earlier this year, but good ol' Betty Crocker taught me how to make them over two years ago. Besides, Olive Garden is basically the Dane Cook of Italian food, just recycling shit someone else came up with and calling it their own, and even worse - pretending it's innovative. Different shaped raviolis?! What will they think of next?


Lasagna Roll-ups
6 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan-reggiano blend
1 10 oz box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Cheater Bolognese:
1.5 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 lb bulk/ground Italian sausage


Always boil your noodles first (in well-salted water with some olive oil), so you can drain them and give them time to cool before you have to handle them. It's never a bad idea to cook up to 10 of them for this recipe, as they often tear when rinsing or stick to the stock pot when cooking This way you'll have spares.

Next, it's time to make your sauce - brown & drain the sausage, then add your jarred sauce. I make a mean homemade sauce, but the Mister isn't big on chucks of veggies in his sauce, so I succumb to culinary failure and improvise. anyhow, it doesn't have to be hot-hot, just warm up the sauce over the remaining heat and spread into the bottom of a 9x13" pan.

Finally, mix up all of the middle ingredients (cheeses, salt, pepper, spinach) and spoon about 1/4 cup onto each noodle and roll it up. Once your roll is secured, use either a very sharp knife or a serrated knife to cut it width-wise down the middle of the roll, so you have two pieces, each with a crowned edge. Nestle each roll into the sauce and bake for 20-30 minutes at around 350 degrees.

As you can see, this produces something much more aesthetically appealing than traditional lasagna, and tastes just as good - if not better.