Manicotti
Manicotti (the plural form of the Italian word manicotto; < manica, ‘sleeve’, + the augmentative ending, -otto) are a type of pasta in Italian-American cuisine. They are large pasta tubes intended to be stuffed and baked.
Manicotti Filling
The filling is generally ricotta cheese mixed with chopped parsley, and possibly ground meat such as veal, but such pasta with a strictly meat filling is called cannelloni rather than manicotti. They are served topped with tomato sauce.
Like the cannelloni of Italian cuisine, manicotti can be extruded in tube form, or rolled from sheets of dough. While manicotti are pointed, cannelloni are smooth with flat ends (Wikipedia)
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 of 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. 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 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 so the food does not stick to the bottom. 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 for an additional 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Also, try; Pizza Casserole recipe
