Melanie’s Three Cheese Manicotti

This homemade Manicotti is creamy, cheesy, and deeply satisfying. Manicotti means "little sleeve" and are large ridged pasta tubes and stuffed with a cheese mixture and then baked. Cheese lovers, like my daughter Melanie, will enjoy the delicious blend of Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan Cheese.

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Large mixing bowl, large pot, sharp knife, colander, cooking spoon, measuring cup, measuring spoons, 11 x 17 baking dish, aluminum foil, spatula

 Prep: 30 min
 Cook: 45 min
 Ready: 75 min
 Serves: 6-8

1. Boil a large pot of salted water, then remove from heat. Add manicotti to pot to soften in boiled water for 15 minutes until al dente. Shells should not be fully cooked and retain their shape.
 

2. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 

4. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, and garlic. Mix well.

5. Pour 1 cup marinara sauce into an 11x17 inch baking dish And spread out to cover bottom of dish.
 

6. Fill each manicotti shell with 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture, and arrange side by side over sauce.

7. Pour remaining cup of sauce over the center of the arranged manicotti. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

8. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes.
 

9. Sprinkle with chopped Basil, remove from pan carefully using a spatul. Serve hot.

1 serving:
 Calories: 676

Total Fat: 30.9g
 Saturated Fat: 17.0g
 Cholesterol: 189mg
 Sodium: 1255mg
 Potassium: 708mg
 Total Carbohydrates: 53.2g
 Dietary Fiber: 4.3g
 Protein: 46g
 Sugars: 13g

Ricotta cheese has a similar texture to cottage cheese, but it's lighter and contains 14 grams of protein and 25% of your daily calcium needs in only half a cup. Ricotta cheese is also low in sodium, high in phosphorus, vitamins A and B and zinc.

Montepulciano, Chianti and Barbera