Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rollatini

I had quite a bit of pesto and ricotta left over from my last blog post on bruschetta, so I started looking at a few other items I had on hand.  Bottled marinara and Parmesan are always a given in my fridge, I had 2 large grilled chicken breasts, the ricotta, basil and pesto. The wheels started turning, I always like to picture myself as a contestant on Chopped and think of what I would whip together in 30 minutes if $10 grand and my dignity depended on it. So I thought.. Italian ingredients.. pasta.. what do I have? Lasagna noodles.. hmmm... Rollatini! And just like that they all melded together into this delicious twist on a white lasagna. I think this recipe would get me through to the dessert round, but try it out yourself and tell me what your Chopped judges at home think.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rollatini

12 lasagna noodles
4 C. of well shredded chicken. (about 2 large breasts)
2 C. part skim ricotta
2 C. Italian cheese blend or mozzarella
1 C. spinach, shredded
1 C. pesto
1 jar of high quality bottled marinara
1 small bunch of basil leaves for garnish, chopped
shredded parmesan for plating


Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling and salted water until al dente. Drain the water, reserving a few inches in the bottom to keep the noodles from drying out or sticking as you work. Set aside off of the heat.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and oil a large glass baking dish.

Use the time while the pasta cooks to make the filling. Mix the shredded chicken, ricotta, one cup of the Italian cheese blend, spinach and pesto together until well combined. 

Assemble the rollatinis by laying each noodle onto a cutting board, spread a thick layer of the filling onto the noodle, leaving an inch gap uncovered on the end to hold it together. Roll the noodle into a pinwheel and press the end to enclose the filling. Place the rollatinis into the greased dish, seam side down. Once all of the rollatinis are in the dish, spoon marinara sauce over the center of each and top with more cheese. Place in the oven uncovered and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Broil the last few minutes to brown the cheese if desired.

Plate with a 1/2 C. of marinara in the center of the plate, topping with a rollatini and garnishing with chopped basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.