Ingredients
12 large manicotti shells
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, or 2 tablespoons dried
26 ounce jar pasta sauce
1/2 cup parmesan or romano cheese, grated
Directions
To make this simple manicotti, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your 13×9 inch baking dish with your favorite cooking spray so your creation does not stick to the pan. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Do not be afraid to add salt to the boiling water; the salt gives your dish flavor, and it helps the water not to boil over the top of the pot. Rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process. Also, the cold rinse will make the pasta firm so it will not tear when handling it. Let it dry on paper towels.
To prepare the filling, stir together 3 cups of mozzarella with the ricotta and basil in a medium bowl. Using a teaspoon, stuff the pasta with the cheese mixture. Spoon 2 cups of the pasta sauce into the baking dish. Arrange the stuffed pasta over the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the pasta. To top it off, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkle with parmesan. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Enjoy!
