Make Ahead Manicotti

SUBMITTED BY: Sandir PHOTO BY: prell2k4

"I have used this basic principle and adapted it to make stuffed shells and lasagna. If making lasagna, I buy a second, smaller jar of spaghetti sauce. I always feel like I need a bit more. Merry Manicotti!"

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PREP TIME	30 Min
COOK TIME	1 Hr
READY IN	1 Hr 30 Min

SERVINGS

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Servings
USMETRIC

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1 pint ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 manicotti shells
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta cheese and eggs until blended. Stir in spinach, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, sugar, salt and pepper. Stuff mixture into uncooked pasta shells.
Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta shells in a single layer over the sauce. Pour the remainder of the sauce over the shells, cover dish, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake covered for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, and bake for another 15 minutes.

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REVIEWS

Reviewed on Oct. 1, 2003 by BECBEC

A WINNER! I made only a few chamges....I used 2 jars of sauce in their entirety; halved the... MORE

Reviewed on May 3, 2004 by TRINITIK

Came out perfect.......way easier than trying to stuff cooked shells with filling. Also, to... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 24, 2005 by NIVES123

Recipe was easy, the sugar must have brought out the cheese flavor?? I used a combination of... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2003 by LAQ1013

I was VERY disappointed with this dish! Served it last night for dinner guests, and was sad... MORE

Reviewed on Jan. 18, 2007 by Nicole S.

Very simple and very tasty! I recommend putting the filling mixture in a large ziplock bag... MORE

Reviewed on Sep. 11, 2003 by BABSKITCHEN

Average. Sugar made it too sweet and I would cut back a little on the spinach. Use plenty of... MORE

Reviewed on Nov. 2, 2005 by Stillxling

Awesome! I made this the night before (and used 1.5 jars of sauce, and half the spinach, as... MORE

Reviewed on Apr. 23, 2004 by ANGELJUPITER

Full Review

The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.

ANGELJUPITER
Apr. 23, 2004

This is a wonderful recipe. I would suggest, depending on your taste buds, decide if you would prefer a sweeter Manicotti or not, the sugar did not agree with my taste for Manicotti. If people think it has a bland taste, it not just about the taste, it's supposed to be mild on flavor. It's more about texture. I added Cottage cheese, because my hubby loves it. And I could see from the start that one jar of sauce just wouldn't due. I love lots of sauce so I used two. I noticed that the spinach kept the mixture moister longer, so this is good recipe for a nice moist Manicotti. I pre-boiled my noodles as well, for about 3-5 min. to get them prep and ready (I was in a rush to get it done). The noodles were still hard enough for me to put the mixture in. I used one of those cake-frosting bags. I was nervous about that and by the end there was a bit of a mess, but I got those shells full! :) I would make this again without the sugar completely and use more cheese!! Lots more!! To thicken the sauce, add a little Parmesan before you put it in the oven to bake. Don't forget the Italian sausage. I bake those before I bake the Manicotti. This way you don't have unwanted grease in your Manicotti. After I take the cover off I bake the sausage with the Manicotti for the 15 minutes. Yummy!!

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6 users found this review helpful

This is a wonderful recipe. I would suggest, depending on your taste buds, decide if you would... MORE