Three Cheese Manicotti

Cheesy, ooey, gooey; that’s a perfect description of this three cheese manicotti dish. It’s filled with Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese that together make a delicious Italian pasta dish.

Does it really matter what kind of pasta you use when you are cooking a recipe? Is there really a difference between rigatoni and penne pasta other than the cut? How about spaghetti noodles versus fettuccine or angel hair; except for the width of the noodles? If you ask an Italian cook you will know that different pasta shapes are to be used with different sauces. The thin angel hair pasta is better with a thinner sauce and the thick fettuccine pasta is better with a thicker sauce like Alfredo (which really isn’t Italian-surprise!) Certain pasta are used for stuffing such as tortellini or ravioli. And manicotti with its long tube is perfect for filling with lots and lots of cheese in our three cheese manicotti.

Three Cheese Manicotti

Created By: Aimee

Servings 12

Course Dinner

Cuisine Pasta

Manicotti noodles stuffed with Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese simmering in a meat marinara sauce for a delicious Italian inspired dinner.

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

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• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 2 TBS olive oil
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• ▢ 14 oz diced tomatoes
• ▢ 14 oz crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 14 oz tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
• ▢ 3 tsp basil (divided)
• ▢ 1/2 TBS oregano (divided)
• ▢ 1 1/2 TBS parsley (divided)
• ▢ 1/2 TBS thyme (divided)
• ▢ 15 oz ricotta cheese
• ▢ 1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded and divided)
• ▢ 8 oz mozzarella (shredded and divided)
• ▢ 2 eggs (beaten)
• ▢ 1/4 tsp pepper (divided)
• ▢ 12 manicotti shells
• ▢ 1 cup spinach (raw)

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat
• Saute minced garlic and red pepper for 1 minute
• Add ground beef and cook throughly
• Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce along with half of each spice to the ground beef. Stir and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the cheese
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a large pot of water on the stove to boil
• In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, all of the ricotta cheese, spinach, beaten eggs, and the other half of the spices
• Once the water is boiling, add the manicotti noodles, cook following the package instructions to al dente
• Drain and rinse the manicotti noocles, leave to cool to touch
• Spread 2 cups of the beef and marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan
• Take one noodle in your hand and stuff completely with 1/12 of the cheese mixture. Continue until all the noodles are stuffed. Lay each noodle on top of the spread marinara sauce
• Spread the remaining sauce over the top of the stuffed three cheese manicotti noodles
• Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes
• At the 40 minute mark, remove from oven, remove the foil, and spread the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the top layer of sauce.
• Bake for 10 more minutes uncovered or until the cheese is melted
• Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 22gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 832mgPotassium: 500mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 956IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 317mgIron: 3mg

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This is a great recipe to make and freeze. Just prepare in a freezer container, wrap well with foil, label, and put in a ziploc gallon bag. Freeze without the last topping of cheese and before baking. You can freeze the second half of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese in a baggie placed inside the 1 gallon bag. Remove and thaw in fridge before baking or adjust baking time to bake from frozen. Top with remaining cheese for the last 10 minutes.