Kid Pleaser Vegetarian Manicotti Food

MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• If using fresh spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt. Boil the spinach until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (keep the water in the pot boiling), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop. Set aside.
• In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the manicotti shells according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and pat dry.
• Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the grated cheese and mix until evenly combined. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the nutmeg and pepper. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining 2 cups sauce. Scatter the remaining 2/3 cup grated cheese on top and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and season with pepper to taste. Use right away, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Yield: 3 1/2 cups
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

KID PLEASER VEGETARIAN MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Boil the manicotti shells til they are half way cooked.
• Chop up the spinach fairly small.
• Shred the cheese and mince the garlic.
• Add all the ingredients except the shells in a large bowl and mix well.
• Drain the shells and let cool, I like to rinse them with cool water and use immediately so they don't get stuck together.
• Stuff the shells.
• Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Voila! You're done!

CHEESY VEGETABLE MANICOTTI

Steps:

• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and yellow squash, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the squash softens but is not mushy, about 4 minutes. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and let cool.
• Add the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the cooled vegetables. Stir to combine.
• For the tomato sauce: In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes with their juices until they are coarsely ground or chop the tomatoes by hand. Transfer them to a bowl, add the salt and pepper, then stir in the basil.
• For the manicotti: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
• Transfer the filling mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Snip a large hole out of one corner of the bag with scissors and use the bag to pipe the mixture into the cooked manicotti shells.
• Spread about 1 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place the manicotti shells into the baking dish. Spread the remaining sauce over the manicotti. Top with the mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

VEGETARIAN MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook and drain manicotti shells.
• Make Tomato sauce with last 10 ingredients. First, sauté garlic and onion in large skillet 2-3 minutes. Then add tomatoes and other ingredients-bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
• Mix ricotta, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, eggs, 1/4 cup parsley, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper.
• Stuff shells with mixture and arrange in baking dish.
• Spoon tomato sauce over shells.
• Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, covered in tinfoil.
• Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and parsley. Remove tinfoil and cook for five minutes more.

VEGETABLE MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain shells as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients except pasta sauce and Parmesan cheese.
• Fill each cooked pasta shell with about 2 tablespoons vegetable mixture; place filled sides up in baking dish. Spoon pasta sauce over shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Cover tightly with foil; bake 50 to 60 minutes or until hot.

VEGETABLE-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, combine all filling ingredients; mix well. Fill each cooked manicotti with vegetable mixture.
• Place 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in ungreased 12x8-inch (2-quart) baking dish. Place filled manicotti over sauce. Pour remaining 1 cup spaghetti sauce over manicotti. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake at 400°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover dish; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.