Ricotta Cheese Stuffing For Jumbo Shells And Manicotti Recipes

SPINACH RICOTTA STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F°.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, onion, egg, garlic, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, salt, pepper, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
• Spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
• Transfer the filling to a piping bag or plastic ziploc bag, cut off a little from one end, this will make it easier for stuffing the shells.
• Stuff each manicotti shell with ricotta mixture and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. There should be enough sauce to fully cover the manicotti.
• Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
• Transfer the dish to the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour covered, then 15-20 minutes uncovered, or until the noodles are soft.
• Serve garnished with basil if preferred and more grated Parmesan cheese.

EASY STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add manicotti and boil for the 7-8 minutes, until almost tender*.
• Drain and rinse manicotti 2-3 times under cold water until cooled to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, pesto, salt, and pepper.
• Place ricotta mixture in a large piping bag or large freezer bag and snip the end.
• Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom.
• Fill each manicotti shell with ricotta cheese mixture and line up on top of the marinara sauce in the baking dish, dividing the ricotta evenly between the 12 manicotti.
• Top the filled manicotti with the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Lightly grease a piece of foil or lid and cover the baking dish. Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until heated through and pasta is tender. Serve.

SHELLS WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA STUFFING

Steps:

• 1. In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, until pork is no longer pink; drain.
• 2. In a Dutch oven, cook pasta shells according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water.
• 3. Using a pastry brush, coat sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with oil.
• 4. Pour half of the marinara sauce into baking dish.
• 5. In a large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 2-½ cups of mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, basil, pepper and prepared sausage.
• 6. Stuff shells with meat mixture; arrange in baking dish.
• 7. Pour remaining marinara sauce over shells.
• 8. Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
• 9. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
• 10. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
• 11. Sprinkle with parsley.
• 12. Serve.

STUFFED SHELLS III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.
• Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

JUMBO SHELLS STUFFED WITH RICOTTA FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Drop jumbo shells into boiling water and cook about 10 minutes or until tender but not overcooked. Drain.
• Spoon layer of sauce over bottom of casserole large enough to hold stuffed shells in one layer.
• Fill each shell with equal portions of ricotta cheese mixture. Arrange shells stuffed side up in casserole. Spoon remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake 25 minutes.

MANICOTTI WITH CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and cool on waxed paper or aluminum foil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper; fill manicotti with cheese mixture.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom and arrange manicotti in a single layer; cover with remaining sauce. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes longer; serve.

WONDERFUL MANICOTTI OR STUFFED JUMBO SHELLS

Steps:

• Brown meats & onion together. Drain. Add seasonings and cream cheese, not the sauce yet. Prepare manicotti shells or jumbo shells according to package instructions. Stuff pasta with meat mixture (I use a baggie and clip off a corner to fill).Sppon a smal amount of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and arrange filled pasta in the dish. Cover with favorite Italian sauce and top with shredded cheese (may cover with foil if you do not like your cheese too brown and remove the last 10 minutes). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Freezes well.