Weeknight Manicotti Food

WEEKNIGHT MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti until tender. While manicotti is cooking, brown beef in oil.
• Combine bread & milk in a bowl & let stand for 2 minutes then add the the browned beef and remaining ingredients to bowl except for the tomato sauce and parmesan cheese.
• Fill rinsed and cooled manicotti with meat mixture.
• Spoon a bit of sauce over the bottom of a large pan and arrange filled manicotti in the pan.
• Pour remaining sauce over top of manicotti and top with parmesan cheese.
• Cover pan with foil and bake in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes.
• Serve with a nice salad and garlic bread if you wish.

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.

MANICOTTI

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: Cook the ground sirloin in a pan over medium heat until it is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and half the onion and saute, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Combine the tomatoes, garlic and remaining onion in a blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the sugar, crushed red pepper, salt, basil, sirloin and mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened. Set aside.
• For the filling: In a large bowl, combine the ricotta and eggs with a spoon. Add the Parmesan, parsley and pepper, and mix well. Set aside.
• For the manicotti crepes: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and egg. Add the milk and 1/4 cup water and combine.
• Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Pour or scoop 2 to 4 tablespoons batter into the pan. Tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter coats the bottom of the pan evenly. Cook the crepe until the bottom is a light brown, about 2 minutes. Loosen with a rubber spatula, flip over and cook the other side. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter. Set crepes aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fill the crepes: Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling in the middle of each crepe and roll up. Place the crepes, seam-side down, in an 11-by-17-inch baking dish. Cover the crepes with tomato sauce then sprinkle with a thin layer of Parmesan. Bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

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.