Cheesy Spinach Chicken Roll-ups

Truth be told, I am not so great at making traditional "well rounded" meals. When I say "well rounded", I mean the type of meal you see on Leave It To Beaver. Meals that have a protein, a starch and a vegetable. I don't know what my deal is, but I can't seem to get it together enough to make anything elaborate as a side. I guess I don't really buy into the whole "well rounded" meal concept. Plus, I hate dirtying a ton of pots and pans. Most nights we eat some form of protein and a vegetable. On the nights when I am super tired, our "side dish" is either a green salad topped with chickpeas and avocado or some sort of bean.

Since I have no patience for fancy side dishes on weeknights, I love it when I make a meal that feels complete all on it's own. Cheesy Spinach Chicken Roll-ups combine a protein and a veg all in one neat little package (with some yummy cheese as the "glue" that ties it all together). This recipe is another take on one of my husbands favorite meals, my Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Roll-ups . I didn't have any sun-dried tomatoes on-hand that night, but I always have chopped frozen spinach in my freezer. We really enjoyed this combination and hope you will too. Even Griffin loved eating the cheesy spinach filling.

Note: This looks way fancy but is a cinch to make! It only takes 30 minutes from start to finish but can also be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge so that it's ready to bake-off when you get home from work.


Spinach and Ricotta Chicken Roll-ups
Serves 4 ( 2 roll-ups per person)

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
one 10oz package, frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
pepper to taste
8 thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, spinach and the pepper and mix until well blended.

Dip each of the chicken cutlets into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Make sure you press the cutlet firmly into the breadcrumbs so that the coating sticks well. Place about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into the center of each cutlet. Roll up and secure each with a toothpick.

Drizzle remaining olive oil over the roll-ups and bake for 20 minute or until the chicken is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Remove toothpicks and serve.


Enjoy!