Meat Lovers Manicotti Stracotto Style 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.

MEAT FILLED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and cool. Reserve.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown beef on medium heat. Drain and cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine beef, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg whites and oregano. Mix well. Stuff shells with mixture.
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enough spaghetti sauce in dish to cover the bottom. Place stuffed noodles in the dish. Cover with spaghetti sauce and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes.

BEEF AND CHEESE MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.
• Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.
• Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

MEAT-LOVER'S SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onions and sausage, until sausage is browned, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the sausage and onions to a slow cooker.
• In the same skillet, cook and stir the ground beef, Italian seasoning, 1 t of garlic powder, and marjoram, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the ground beef into the slow cooker.
• Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, thyme, basil, oregano and 2 t garlic powder.
• Cook on low for about 8 hours.
• About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the sugar.
• Serve hot over pasta.

MEAT LOVER'S BURGER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place bacon in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until brown and crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels.
• Return the skillet to the heat and increase the temperature to medium-high. Add the onion and garlic, and stir fry until the onion is soft and the garlic begins to brown. Add the balsamic vinegar, and cook while stirring for one minute. Add the chopped mushrooms, and cook for three additional minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
• Finely chop 4 slices of the bacon (reserving the remaining 4). In a medium bowl, combine the chopped bacon, ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, mushroom mixture and egg. Mix well using hands. Season with salt and pepper, and form into two patties.
• Open the two halves of the hamburger bun on an ungreased cookie sheet. Place one beef patty on each half, and cover each with one slice of tomato, 2 slices of the reserved bacon and one slice of Swiss cheese.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until meat has cooked through.