Manly Manicotti Recipes

MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• If using fresh spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt. Boil the spinach until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (keep the water in the pot boiling), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop. Set aside.
• In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the manicotti shells according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and pat dry.
• Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the grated cheese and mix until evenly combined. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the nutmeg and pepper. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining 2 cups sauce. Scatter the remaining 2/3 cup grated cheese on top and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and season with pepper to taste. Use right away, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Yield: 3 1/2 cups
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

MANLY MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Brown 1 lb. of Italian Sausage. Drain (not too much, though. A good spot of sausage grease helps to flavor the filling.).
• Add Manicotti noodles to salted boiling water. (About 1 teaspoons salt and 1 TBSP olive oil to 1 quart water.) Boil noodles until they are al dente. They should be a bit stiff. Drain noodles and set aside.
• Mix in a bowl: Sausage, 2/3 mozzarella cheese, 2/3 Gouda cheese, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, 1/2 tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, onion, olives, 2/3 of all spices. Mix sausage, tomato sauce/paste, Spices and ricotta cheese until your mixture is even and mildly thin. Add all additional ingredients listed above until it's thick enough to spoon into the noodles.
• Note: Mozarella and Gouda are the thickening agents in the noodles. The thicker your recipe is with these cheeses, the more gooey your filling will turn out at the end. (Gooey is good!).
• In a separate bowl combine left over ingredients, except for Gouda and mozzarella. This should be a thinner sauce, as it will pour over the noodles.
• Stuff noodles, about 2 per person depending on size of party, until full end to end. Place noodles side by side in baking dish. Pour sauce over noodles, covering them evenly. Sprinkle last amount of Gouda and mozzarella over Manicotti. More cheese on top means thicker cheese crust.
• Place in oven for 40-45 minutes. Look for the cheese on top to be fully melted and slightly crusted. Serve hot with Garlic Bread and, my preference is steamed, buttered and spiced asparagus.

MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti in boiling water until done. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, and salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Pour 1/2 cup sauce into an 11x17 inch baking dish. Fill each manicotti shell with 3 tablespoons cheese mixture, and arrange over sauce . Pour remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly.

HOMEMADE MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Place flour in a bowl; whisk in milk, eggs and salt until smooth. Heat a lightly greased 8-in. skillet; pour about 2 tablespoons batter into center of skillet. Spread into a 5-in. circle. Cook over medium heat until set; do not brown or turn. Repeat with remaining batter, making 18 crepes. Stack crepes with waxed paper in between; set aside. , For filling, combine cheeses, egg and parsley. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons down the center of each crepe; roll up. Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Place crepes, seam side down, over sauce; pour remaining sauce over top. , Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through. Sprinkle with Romano cheese if desired.