I mentioned to you at the beginning of the year that one of my goals for 2012 is to eat veggie during the week. I also promised that I would occassionally share yummy veggie recipes with you. Well, the hubs even liked this one, so I had to share it.
First let me say, unless you have an hour to spend in the kitchen, plan to do this on the weekend. It’s yummy but it does take a bit of time to prepare.
Spinach Manicotti
Ingredients
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1 box of manicotti noodles – 14 noodles total
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2 cups Italian blend cheese
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15 oz. ricotta cheese
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1 jar spaghetti sauce
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1-10oz. box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
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1/4 tsp. red pepper
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2 cloves garlic, crushed
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1 egg, slightly beaten
First, using a large pot, bring water to boil and cook pasta according to box directions:
After boiling, dip each noodle in cool water and lay out on a cooling rack.
While those little puppies are drying, grab a mixing bowl.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the Italian blend cheese… (hold the remaining 1/2 cup for later)
…1/4 tsp. red pepper…
…15 oz. ricotta cheese…
…your thawed and drained spinach…
…2 cloves crushed garlic… (I use Gourmet Garden – 2 Tbsp. = 2 cloves – Easy!)
…and your egg.
Mix it all together:
Grab a 13×9 glass pan. Pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the pan…
…and spread it around to cover the bottom.
Now, let’s get back to those manicotti noodles, shall we? They should be nice and dry by now.
Grab one manicotti noodle at a time, and hold with your finger along the bottom to keep the stuffing from spilling out while you fill them:
Stuff spoonfuls of your cheese/spinach mixture into each noodle.
(It took about 3 good spoonfuls to fill each manicotti…)
As you fill each manicotti, lay them all snuggled together in the pan.
Use the rest of your spaghetti sauce to cover and spread over the stuffed manicotti.
Cover with tin foil, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
And DONE!
Yea…YUMMM…..
You’re welcome 😉
One Response
pinned it for when I go vegetarian for 30 days. Thanks.