Manicotti
Description
This one comes straight from Brittany’s late mother who made stuffed shells often. She passed on her recipe to us years ago, to which we now make a few times a year in her memory. This picture is from Mother’s Day 2022, when we made it for Nick’s mom as an honorary dinner!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings
8 People
Total Time
1 Hour
15 minutes
Ingredients
- 25 Jumbo Shells/ Manicotti – Cooked and Cooled
- 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Cup Mozzarella, Shredded
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Parmesan, Shredded
- 1 Cup Cottage Cheese
- 2 Eggs
- Sautéed Spinach
- 1 lb Italian Sausage, Cooked and Crumbled
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Basil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 2 Jars (4 Cups) of Preferred Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 (8oz) Package Mozzarella, Shredded
- Fresh Parsley for Topping
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees
- In a large mixing bow, combine the 4 cheeses, eggs, spinach, sausage, & seasonings together.
- Fill the cooled pasta with the cheese mixture using a small spoon, and place inside of a 13.5 x 9 in. casserole dish (sprayed for non-stick) until all of the mixture/ noodles are complete.
- Layer the filled pan with the spaghetti sauce and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake (covered) for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Top with the shredded mozzarella package and bake until melted (about 3-5 minutes).
- Top with fresh parsley and serve.
Sides for this dish
- Salad
- Freshly Cooked Veggies
- Garlic Bread
- Breadsticks
How to serve this dish
Serve hot. We think they are best heated up as leftovers so the flavors have time to soak in.
Notes
Manicotti is easier to cut/ eat than jumbo shells.
Another way to stop the noodles from sticking to the pan is to coat the bottom of the baking dish with a little of the spaghetti sauce.
This photo, we combined a garlic and olive oil sauce AND a vodka sauce. This made a delicious combination of flavors that the whole family loved.
I like to broil the cheese in step 7 for a browning on top rather than a melt.