Baked Manicotti
From Jill Emmons
(Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen, Jan. 2007)
**Recipe makes one 13 x 9 pan of manicotti, may be doubled**
Ingredients:
1 package (16 leaves) no bake lasagna noodles (flat, no ridges)
Filling:
1 medium tub Ricotta cheese, part skim (about 15 oz)
2 cups shredded Italian cheeses (Romano, Asaigio, parmesan, mozzarella)
2 Tbs. fresh chopped herbs (basil, oregano) or 1-2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 egg
Sauce:
½ lb. ground beef
½ cup diced onion
1 can diced tomatoes (approx. 14 oz)
½ large jar prepared pasta sauce (about 13 oz)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Olive Oil
Topping: 1 cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Mix all filling ingredients well, and set aside.
3. Sauté ground beef with a little olive oil (2 tsp) onion, garlic, Italian herbs, plus a dash of salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and pasta sauce, heat through.
4. Soften lasagna noodles in a bowl of hot water for 2-3 minutes (I microwave the bowl for a minute, then test to see if the noodles are flexible enough). Remove noodles one at a time from water and shake off excess before filling.
5. Take each lasagna noodle and fill with about 2-3 Tbs. of filling. Roll up like a burrito, place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 pan. Continue with all noodles until used up.
6. Cover with sauce, top with shredded cheese, and bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees until bubbly. Enjoy!
