Spinach Pesto Manicotti Recipes

SPINACH MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Cook manicotti as directed on box. Rinse with cool water; drain well.
• In medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese blend, the red pepper, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic and egg.
• In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into manicotti; place over sauce in dish. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti.
• Cover tightly with foil; bake about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Uncover dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

SPINACH CHEESE MANICOTTI

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute onion in oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Set aside. , In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper; beat until smooth. Stir in onion mixture and spinach. Stuff into the manicotti shells., Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce., Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

MAKE-AHEAD SPINACH MANICOTTI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley and seasonings. In another large bowl, mix spaghetti sauce and water; spread 1 cup into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Fill uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture; arrange over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce mixture over top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until manicotti is tender. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

SPINACH, PESTO, AND BEEF STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• 1. Brown the ground meat and season well with salt and pepper. Drain off the grease and put in a large bowl.
• 2. Boil the shells, according to package, drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• 3. In the same skillet in which you browned the meat, add some olive oil and saute the spinach until completely done.
• 4. Mix the pesto, cream cheese, Parmesan and spinach into the ground meat.
• 5. Pour a little marinara into a large (large enough to hold all the manicotti in one layer) casserole dish, enough to allow the shells to sit on and not stick to the bottom of the dish.
• 6. Then stuff the shells with the meat mixture and lay the stuffed shells into the casserole.
• 7. Top each shell with Provolone. Pour remaining marinara over shells, top with shredded mozzarella.
• 8. Bake for 45-60 minutes according to your oven temperature, until hot and bubbly with the cheese all melted but not too browned.

SPINACH MANICOTTI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, spinach, sour cream, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. , Combine the tomato juice, salsa and crushed tomatoes; spread 1 cup sauce in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti with spinach mixture; arrange over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti., Cover and bake at 350° for 55 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer or until noodles are tender.

CREAMY PESTO MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Combine 1/4 cup of the Mozzarella cheese and the next 8 ingredients (Mozzarella - garlic) in a food processor, and process until creamy.
• Prepare Manicotti according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, wash and squeeze all the water out of the spinach. When pasta is cooked, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°.
• Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells and lay in a 9x13 pan or a pan large enough to hold all of the stuffed manicotti.
• Cover with tomato sauce and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake 20 minutes.
• *use shells or the long Manicotti strips.

SPINACH CHEESE MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Season with parsley, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. In a separate bowl, stir together spaghetti sauce and water.
• Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

SPINACH PESTO MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook manicotti to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine ground beef, spinach, cheese, pesto and egg. If desired, add salt and pepper; mix well. For easier stuffing, place beef mixture in resealable freezer plastic bag; seal bag. Cut about 1-inch hole in bottom corner of bag.
• Fill each manicotti by squeezing beef mixture into manicotti; place in sprayed baking dish. Pour pasta sauce over manicotti. Cover with foil.
• Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is no longer pink in center.