Cover all the food groups with this rich, delicious meal! Great for a large group. And... it's pasta, so what are you waiting for!
Servings: 16 (cut in half if you need to)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Sauce:
1 lb ground
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
-1 jar of your favorite store bought sauce
-1 can stewed diced tomatoes (or homemade jar stewed tomatoes)
-1 cup red wine
Noodles:
2 boxes manicotti noodles (typically 8 per box)
Filling:
2 cups shredded mozzarella
3 cups ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed (or use fresh, finely chopped)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Nonstick spray
Instructions
Sauce:
-In a sauce pan on medium heat add olive oil, ground and seasonings,stir until ground is mostly cooked
-Add onion
-Stir occasionally until onion is soft
-Add garlic, blend
-Add sauce, tomatoes and wine
-Reduce to low heat, cover, simmer for one hour (30 minutes is fine but the longer the better)
Pasta
-Cook pasta according to directions for al dente
-Rinse with cold water, set aside
Filling
-Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl
-Fill pasta shells with cheese mixture until stuffed
Finish it up
-Spray large, rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray
-Place stuffed manicotti into the dish (if you have some splits, it's OK put them on the bottom
-Cover manicotti with your sauce mixture, sprinkle with any remaining mozzarella
-Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Pairs well with salad and garlic bread