Manicotti

How to make Manicotti

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground beef

½ cup onion finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

15 ounce carton ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley

1 eggs beaten

Assembly:

12 manicotti shells

2 ½ c. spaghetti sauce

1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley optional garnish

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat .

Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes breaking up the meat into smaller pieces.

Add onions to the skillet and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the onions are softened and ground beef is cooked through. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds.

Remove skillet from heat and drain off grease.

In a large mixing bowl combine the ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, parsley and eggs. Add ground beef and stir to combine.

Assembly:

Cook the manicotti shells according to package directions to al dente. Drain water off and rinse in lukewarm water so you can handle them. Spread 1 cup of spaghetti sauce over the bottom of the prepared pan.

Fill a piping bag or ziploc gallon sized bag with cheese filling. If using a ziploc bag, snip off one corner. Pipe the filling into each manicotti noodle then place the filled noodle in the prepared pan.

Repeat until all noodles are filled, arranged in a single layer in the pan. You can also carefully spoon the mixture into the noodles if you prefer.

Pour the remaining sauce on top of the filled noodles. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Uncover the baking dish, sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over the top, then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned.

Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.

Serve!