Christina's TV Dinners
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
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- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Total Fat
- 105 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 44 grams
- Carbohydrates
- 85 grams
- Dietary Fiber
- 10 grams
- Total: 2 hr 5 min
- Prep: 1 hr
- Inactive: 15 min
- Cook: 50 min
Ingredients
Christina's Lasagna Roll-Ups, recipe follows
Christina's Meatballs, recipe follows
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas
4 (1/8-inch thick) pats butter
4 pieces uncooked prepared brownie dough
Christina's Lasagna Roll-Ups:
8 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
Garlic salt, for seasoning spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese
8 ounces sliced provolone, torn into 1-inch strips
8 ounces prosciutto, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Christina's Meatballs:
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
8 ounces ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
Special equipment:
4 ovenproof TV dinner trays or 4 (8 by 8-inch) disposable aluminum baking pans heavy-duty aluminum foil- If using a disposable baking pan, fold up several layers of heavy-duty foil to create 2-inch wide strips. Fit the strips into the baking pan to form 1 large and 2 smaller compartments.
- Spoon 1/4 cup of the Lasagna Roll-Up sauce into the large compartment of each tray. Put 2 roll-ups and 3 meatballs over the sauce in each tray. Spoon remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Divide the frozen peas among 1 of the remaining compartments in each tray and top with a pat of butter. Put a piece of brownie dough in each of the remaining compartments. Cover the trays tightly with aluminum foil and freeze until ready to use, up to 3 months.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Let dinners stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Uncover the brownie compartment and bake dinners until heated through, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.
Christina's Lasagna Roll-Ups:
- Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and pat dry.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the marinara sauce and basil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of spinach across 1 end of a lasagna noodle, about 1-inch from the edge. Sprinkle with a little garlic salt. Spread 2 tablespoons of ricotta over the spinach. Arrange about 1/8 of the provolone over the spinach and top with 1/8 of the prosciutto. Roll up the noodle around the filling. Repeat with remaining noodles and filling.
- If making Christina's TV Dinners, proceed according to that recipe. Otherwise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread half of the sauce in a shallow baking dish and set the roll-ups on top. Spoon the remaining sauce over the roll-ups and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Christina's Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg and milk together. Tear bread into pieces, add to the egg mixture and let soak for a few minutes.
- Place beef in a medium mixing bowl. Add egg-bread mixture, salt, and pepper and mix well. Form the mixture into 12 (1-inch) meatballs.
- In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Roll the meatballs in the bread crumb mixture to coat evenly.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.