Manicotti in Minutes

Boy, do I love Manicotti.  I might even love it more than lasagna or stuffed shells.  But whats not love???  Giant pasta tubes filled with the perfect blend of spinach and ricotta cheese, smothered in red sauce and topped with more cheese.... Man oh man.  A good little tip...use either a pastry bag or a zip lock bag to pipe the stuffing in the shells, it's so much easier than trying to get that filling in there with a spoon.
  More great things about Manicotti:
 1.  They're even better the next day.
 2.  They freeze up really nice.
Manicotti Trivia:   Manicotti means "Sleeves" in Italian. .... so.... roll up your sleeves and start filling those sleeves.  Don't forget to throw the leftovers in the freezer so you can enjoy those  Manicotti's today, tomorrow and a few weeks from now!

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Ingredients

• FOR SAUCE
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 can 28-Ounce Ground Peeled Tomatoes, Chunky Style
• ½ cups Chicken Broth Or Stock
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 pinch Pepper, Ground
• 6 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped
• FOR THE FILLING:
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Small Onion Chopped
• 1 package Spinach, ( 10 Ounce Frozen, Thawed And Squeezed Dry)
• 15 ounces, weight Ricotta Cheese
• 1 whole Egg, Lightly Beaten
• ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• FOR THE PASTA:
• 1 package Manicotti Shells (14 shells)
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded   

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

FOR THE SAUCE:
In a skillet on medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Lower heat and add tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and add chopped basil. Set aside

FOR THE FILLING:
In a skillet over medium/high heat melt butter. Add onion and cook until until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the drained spinach and cook with onion and for a couple of minutes to incorporate the flavors. Remove from heat, set aside and cool to room temperature.
In separate bowl, combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Add the cooled spinach mixture with the ricotta mixture, mix well.

FOR THE PASTA:
Cook manicotti in boiling water until done ( about 7 minutes). Drain, rinse with cold water and set  aside until ready to fill.

ASSEMBLY:
Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with sauce. ( About 1 1/2 cups ) Set aside.
Place the filling into a plastic bag. Use either a frosting piping bag or a gallon zip bag. Snip the corner of the gallon zip bag , gather the top and squeeze the filling into the corner.
Squeeze the ricotta into the shell until it is coming slightly out of both sides.
Place the filled shells in the prepared 9×13 baking dish. Spoon sauce over the top ( about another 1 1/2 cups). Sprinkle the Mozzarella Cheese over the shells. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and hot.
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Nutrition Facts

Manicotti in Minutes

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 444

• Total Fat: 30.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 13.5 g
• Trans Fat: 0.2 g
• Cholesterol: 85.9 mg
• Sodium: 1155.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 27 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
• Sugars: 2.6 g
• Protein: 17.9 g