Easy Lasagna Roll-Ups and They Are Diabetic Friendly

By Linda Carol Wilson

For something a little different try this easy recipe for tasty Lasagna Roll-ups. It's quick and easy and combines many healthy items into one dish. The lasagna provides grain (even a better grain value if you use whole-wheat lasagna), the ground beef provides the meat, spinach adds a healthy vegetable, of course the tomatoes in the sauce are well known to be excellent in reducing one's cancer risk, and three kinds of cheeses add dairy to the mix. This would make a great addition to your recipe file.

LASAGNA ROLL-UPS
4 lasagna noodles
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
8 oz reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp low-fat milk
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt, optional
2 cups sugar-free spaghetti sauce without meat, divided
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions; rinse and drain. In a medium non-stick skillet, cook ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink. Drain in a colander and rinse with hot water to remove excess fat. Rinse pan and wipe with a paper towel. Add the spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, milk, thyme and salt, if using, to the ground beef. Mix up well and divide evenly, spreading over the lasagna noodles. Pour 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce over the meat mixture of each noodle. Carefully roll up jelly-roll style and place seam side down in an 8-inch square baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Pour the remaining cup of spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

4 servings: Each contains approximately 350 calories, 33 g carbs and 23 g protein

Note: You can use lean ground turkey instead of the beef, if you prefer poultry over red meat.

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com She also has a blog where she shares her vintage recipe collection at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com