Bring a very large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the lasagna noodles one at a time to prevent them from sticking together.Allow the noodles to soften a little before stirring. Cook according to the package instructions minus a few minutes since this pasta dish continues to bake in the oven.Cook the noodles to a stage where they are roll-able, otherwise they will break.When ready, remove the noodles from the pot of boiling water and place in a big bowl of cold water. This will stop the cooking process and will prevent the noodles from drying out as we get ready to assemble the roll-ups.
Make the filling:
Sauté 1 medium chopped onion in 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute.
Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, a few pinches of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste, and continue to sauté for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent. Set this mixture aside to cool down to room temperature.
Combine this room temperature mixture with the rest of the ingredients for the filling.
Assemble the Lasagna Rolls:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place one oven grate in the center and another one at the top of your oven.
Place a clean kitchen towel on the countertop. Remove the lasagna noodles from the bowl of water and place it on the tea towel. Gently dry the top of the noodles with another tea towel.
Using two spoons or a pastry bag with the bottom cut off, spread about 2-3 tablespoons of the spinach ricotta filling in the middle of each lasagna noodle. Stop at 1-1½ inches from the top.
Starting at the end closest to you, begin to roll the pasta applying gentle pressure.
Place about a ½-1 cup of tomato sauce at the base of your baking dish. To bake all of the 12 lasagna rolls, you will need a 13 x 9″ baking dish.
Tilt the dish so that the sauce coats the bottom evenly.
Place the lasagna roll-ups in the prepared dish, with the seam side down. Repeat until all the lasagna noodles are rolled and placed in your pan.
Top with the remaining tomato sauce. Shake the pan so that the sauce coats the individual rolls.
Place a piece of parchment paper over the top. Then cover tightly with a piece of aluminum foil.
Bake in a preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes.
Remove the baked lasagna from the oven. Uncover both the aluminum wrap and the parchment paper.
Sprinkle freshly grated mozzarella cheese over the top.Place on the top oven grate and broil for a few minutes until bubbly and beginning to take color.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra grated cheese.
Notes
Use a large pot of water to boil the lasagna noodles to prevent them from sticking together and breaking.
When spreading the spinach ricotta filling, leave 1-1½ inches (area furthest from you) without any filling. As you begin to roll your lasagna noodles, the filling pushes forward and will cover this empty space.
CAN THE LASAGNA ROLL UPS BE FROZEN? Yes. Place them on a cookie sheet that fits your freezer. Freeze for a couple of hours. Then, remove and place in a freezable container. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.