Chicken Rollatini with Spinach

Well...the Olympics are over. Now what am I going to do with my evenings? Amazing how easily I got suckered in by rowing, volleyball...and...rhythmic gymnastics. Yep...I said it. And I liked it. So there. Even better? I also heard a rumor that men's and women's pole dancing will be a test sport at the next summer Olympics. Oh dear me. The entertainment value alone! I am overwhelmed.

And here's where I just go ahead and make myself look like a horrid writer. I have no segue for you. Nope. Nada. Zilch. I'm just going to throw a recipe at you and hope that you take the bait.

Of course I got this recipe via Pinterest. Why would you even ask? That's just silly. It comes originally from Gina over at Skinny Tastes. Yup...that's right, skinny. It's under 200 calories a serving. And it has CHEESE. Yum. That being said...my version was probably over the 200 calories. Why? Because I love cheese. Don't judge.

It isn't very difficult to make. In fact, it's surprisingly easy for such a well-rounded meal.

What You'll Need :

8 thin chicken cutlets (you can also use 4 chicken breast halves cut lengthwise and pounded thin)
1/2 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp Parmesan, separated
3 eggs
5 oz. frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry (uber important)
6 tbsp. part skim ricotta
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp shredded mozzarella, separated
Olive oil nonstick spray
1 bottle of your favorite marinara sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season the cutlets lightly with salt & pepper. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

Assemble 3 bowls. Combine the bread crumbs and 2 tbsp Parmesan in the first bowl and whisk 2 of the eggs in the second. In the final bowl, combine the remaining egg with 3 tbsp of mozzarella, the ricotta and the spinach. This will be your filling.

Spread 2 tbsp of the filling on each cutlet and roll loosely. Keep seam side down. Dip the chicken in the whisked egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Place in baking dish, seam side down. Lightly rub the backs of the chicken with olive oil.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top with the sauce and the remaining cheeses. (This is where I come clean. Her recipe calls for 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella at this step. HAHAHAHAHA. Funny. I upped that to 1 & 1/2 cup. I told you...don't judge. Just love the cheese.) Bake for an additional 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

See...extra melty cheese. Yum. Don't short yourself. You want this extra cheese...you know you do...

The boys in my life loved this recipe. In fact, Collin was on shift when I made this. I sent it with him to work...his partners on the ambulance ate it right up. If I can get EMS workers to eat real food instead of take out...it must be alright.