1-First Step: Get a large pot of water boiling for your noodles. This is the foundation of your dish. Once the water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon of salt. Salting the water is crucial because it is the only chance to season the pasta itself. Add the 12 uncooked long, ruffled-edge lasagna noodles. Cook them until they are al dente, which means they should be tender but still have a slight bite to them. This usually takes a couple of minutes less than the package instructions say, as they will cook more in the oven. Drain them carefully and place them immediately into a bowl of cool water. This stops the cooking process and keeps them from sticking together while you work on the rest of the components.

2-Second Step: While your noodles are cooling, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Now, grab a Dutch oven or a large skillet and place it over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and let it warm up. Add 1 pound of 90/10 lean ground beef. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart as it cooks. Brown it until it is no longer pink. If there is a lot of excess fat, you can drain it, but with 90/10 beef, there usually is not much to drain. Season the meat with a generous pinch of salt and ground black pepper to taste.

3-Third Step: Once the beef is browned, add ½ medium yellow onion that has been finely diced. Cook this for about 3 to 5 minutes until the onion is softened and translucent. Then, add 2 cloves of garlic that have been finely minced. You only want to cook the garlic for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until it becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn it, as burnt garlic can taste bitter. Next, pour in 24 oz of marinara sauce. Stir everything together and let it simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors meld. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

4-Fourth Step: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine 15 ounces of whole milk ricotta cheese, 1 large egg, and ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese. Crack the egg into the ricotta first and whisk it slightly before adding the parmesan to ensure it is well distributed. Add 1 ½ cups of the part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese to this bowl. Reserve the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella for later. Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Mix all of this together until you have a thick, creamy, and uniform cheese filling. The egg acts as a binder to help the filling stay inside the rolls while they bake.

5-Fifth Step: Grab a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread about ½ cup of your meat sauce evenly over the bottom of the dish. This layer of sauce prevents the noodles from sticking to the pan and keeps the bottom rolls moist. Now, take one of your cooled lasagna noodles and lay it flat on a clean surface or cutting board. Spread about ¼ cup of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the noodle, leaving a little space at the edges. Top that with 1 heaping tablespoon of the meat sauce.

6-Sixth Step: Starting from one end, carefully roll the noodle up over the filling. Place the roll seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat this process with all of the noodles. You should be able to fit them all snugly in the dish, usually in two rows of six. Once they are all rolled and arranged, pour the remaining meat sauce evenly over the top of all the rolls. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce.

7-Final Step: Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil. You want to tent the foil slightly so it does not stick to the cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil. To get that delicious golden-brown cheese crust, switch your oven to the broil setting. Broil the rolls for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch them very closely during this time so the cheese does not burn. Once the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, remove the dish from the oven. Garnish with 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley before serving to add a pop of color and fresh flavor.