Cook time: 45 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4-5
Andy and I don't eat Italian food very often but every once in a while, I get a deep craving for the two Cs: carbs and cheese. Just kidding, I crave them all the time just not always in pasta form. When I do make pasta, it's usually simple. That being said, I love ricotta so it's worth putting in the time to make stuffed manicotti with love!
Pros: deliciously hearty meal
Cons: labor intensive
Ingredients:
8 oz package of manicotti
1 lb ground beef
2 packed cups chopped spinach
1/2 diced yellow onion
4-6 cloves chopped garlic
28 oz crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt
Pepper
Cook and drain your manicotti as indicated on the package.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Heat up a pan with your olive oil and begin by sweating your onions on medium heat. Then, add in your chopped garlic, ground beef, and a heavy pinch of salt. Cook until your ground beef is 80% done. Then, add in your spinach and took until meat is well done. If you used a high fat beef, drain excess oil.
When mixture is slightly cooled, mix in 1 cup of ricotta, 1/4 cup of mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
Carefully stuff a few spoons of this mixture into each manicotti shell. Line a baking sheet with your manicotti. Once you have a full tier, drizzle on a healthy amount of crushed tomato and sprinkle on some of your garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and pepper. Repeat the stuffing and layering! (Note: if you have a favorite marinara sauce, you can use that instead.)
When you get to your final layer, finish off your dish with the rest of your mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Cover your baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Top with red pepper flakes!