I stole this recipe for Spinach Stuffed Manicotti from bettycrocker.com. The original recipe called for rolling up lasagna noodles, I decided to make it easier and stuff manicotti noodles instead. Spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and seasonings make up the filling for the noodles. Filled manicotti is baked in the oven covered in sauce. Italian sausage is cooked with fresh mushrooms and added to marinara sauce to top the manicotti. This Spinach Stuffed Manicotti is a delicious homemade Italian meal!
“If your mother cooks Italian food, why should you go to a restaurant?” – Martin Scorsese, Director (see more quotes in the Quotes tab)
October 17th is National Pasta Day (to see more Food Holidays click National Food Holidays) and making spinach stuffed manicotti is a great way to celebrate. You can also celebrate by making other pasta dishes by clicking on Pasta.
Heat oven to 350 F. Cook 1 lb Italian sausage, 1 cup chopped onion and 8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is brown; drain.
Stir in pasta sauce. Heat to boiling. Stirring constantly.
Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.
Mix together 15 oz ricotta cheese, 10 oz spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper and 2 minced garlic cloves.
Stir to combine. Stuff manicotti noodles with the ricotta mixture.
Pour sauce to coat the bottom of an ungreased rectangular baking dish. Place filled manicotti on top.
Pour more sauce on top of noodles and sprinkle additional mozzarella cheese.
Cover and bake 30 minutes or until hot.
Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
Spinach Stuffed Manicotti
Spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and seasonings make up the filling for the noodles. Filled manicotti is baked in the oven covered in sauce. Italian sausage is cooked with fresh mushrooms and added to marinara sauce to top the manicotti. A delicious homemade Italian meal!
Ingredients
- 6 uncooked plain lasagna noodles 6oz
- 6 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles 6oz
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 large onion chopped (1 cup)
- 14 oz jar tomato pasta sauce any variety
- 8 oz can mushroom pieces and stems undrained
- 15 oz container ricotta cheese
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed to drain
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 4 oz
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 F. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.
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Cook beef and onion in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in pasta sauce and mushrooms. Heat to boiling. Stirring constantly. Pour into ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 ½ inches.
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Mix ricotta cheese, spinach, mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, the salt, pepper and garlic. Spread 3 tbsp of the cheese mixtures over each noodle. Roll up each noodle; cut roll crosswise in half. Place cut sides down in beef mixture.
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Cover and bake 30 minutes or until hot. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
You can use Italian sausage instead of ground beef. Also use fresh mushrooms can be added and cooked with the sausage. When mixing the ricotta mixture, add 1 egg and use 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese instead of the ½ cup. If you use manicotti instead, this will fit in a 9x13 pan. Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of the pan, place the filled noodles on top then pour the remaining sauce on top. Bake covered 30 minutes, uncover and sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and bake 5 minutes longer.