Yummy Manicotti
Looking for a special dinner that won’t break the bank? Try this easy delicious recipe for stuffed manicotti. It would make a fun, easy candlelight meal. I have fond memories of making this with my mom as a little girl. 🙂 It’s delicious. This recipe makes 4 hearty servings. It doubles easily to feed a larger family. Serve alongside Herb Bread or Sesame Garlic Italian Bread.
1st cook 8 oz. manicotti shells according to package
To make the sauce:
- Brown 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1 small chopped onion. Drain.
- Add in: 3 8oz cans of tomato sauce, 1/8 t. chili powder, pinch of crushed red pepper, 1/8 t. ground cumin, 1/4 t. oregano, 1/4 t. basil, 1/2 t. minced garlic, 1/2 4 oz. sliced mushrooms. Simmer for a couple of minutes.
- To Make the Filling combine in a bowl: 1 1/2 c. cottage cheese, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, dash of salt and pepper, 1 beaten egg, 4-5 oz. cooked drained spinach (1/2 a 10 oz box), 1/2 t. chopped parsley.
- Spoon 2/3 c. meat mixture on the bottom of a pan. I used a 7×11 pan.
Fill each shell with 1 heaping T. of filling mixture. (I used a baby spoon and it worked wonderful.) Lay on top of sauce.
Spoon remaining meat sauce over the top of the dish. Bake at 350 about 50 minutes. Yields: 4 servings.
Serve alongside a fresh salad and enjoy!
Emerson Family 
I bet you could fill these when the noodles are raw (uncooked) and just cover over with foil when you bake them. I would add 15 minutes to the baking time. I do that with lasagna noodles all the time.
I’ll have to try that next time.