Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1/2 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey - and used a bit more)
1/2 cup (one onion) finely chopped onion
1 (15 oz) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used a little more)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used more)
2 TAB chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp freshly ground back pepper, more to taste
3 tsp olive oil
12 pieces of manicotti (one 8 oz box) OR
1 box of jumbo sea shells (I used these)
1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce
1 TAB butter, cut into pieces
Marinara Sauce
Use your own Marinara Sauce or for a quicky meal, use a jar of your favorite sauce off the shelf.
(I used a whole jar of Prego sauce with garden vegetables)
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Directions: |
Directions:Heat a medium size, heavy skillet over medium flame. Saute the onion until it is translucent. Add the ground beef (or turkey) and cook until the meat browns. About 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley , garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in the mean mixture and set aside.
Brush 1 tsp of olive oil over the large baking sheet. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (Work in batches if cooking manicotti tubes). I cooked the entire box of sea shells.(Cook a la dente. Transfer from the pot to the prepared baking sheet and let cool.
Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Brush the remaining 2 tsp of oil over 13X9X2 glass baking dish. Spoon 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti (sea shells) with cheese meat mixture, and arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining cup of sauce over the manicotti. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and then the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese over the manicotti. Do the top with the butter pieces (The manicotti or sea shells can be prepared up the this point 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Bake the manicotti uncovered until it is heated through and the sauce bubbles on the bottom of the dish, about 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve. |
This recipe for Beef and Cheese Manicotti is from