Giada's Lasagna Rolls

I love cookery shows. 3 of my favourite TV cooks are Jamie Oliver, Nigella and Giada. Pictured here is my version of Giada's Lasagna Rolls which I tweaked to suit what was available in my larder/fridge. H and Daughter loved it and so did I. Writing this post reminds me I should SO try this again!

Anyway, following is my tweaked recipe:

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Lasagna:

• 1 (15-ounce) cream cheese like philadelphia
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated cheese
• 3 ounces of chicken chopped,or thinly sliced mushrooms if you prefer vegetarian,
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons oil
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 2 cups pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup cheese, chicken/mushroom, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of pasta sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining pasta sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

The original version which is more authentic Italian (eg. they use ricotta, parmesan and prosciotto which I substituted with easier to find ingredients can be found here : http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lasagna-rolls-recipe/index.html

So, what's your favourite celebrity inspired recipe?