Your family will rank this recipe, ricotta
cheese-stuffed manicotti baked in an Italian tomato meat sauce,
as a definite keeper.
Stuffed Manicotti
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) Italian style shredded cheese
8 manicotti shells, cooked
- Cook first 3 ingredients in a large nonstick
skillet over medium heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is
no longer pink; drain. Return mixture to skillet. Stir in spaghetti
sauce, crushed red pepper, and salt; simmer, stirring occasionally,
5 to 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Stir together ricotta cheese, next 3 ingredients,
and half of shredded cheese.
- Pour one-fourth of sauce into a 13 x 9
x 2-inch baking dish.
- Stuff manicotti shells with cheese mixture,
and arrange over sauce. Top with remaining sauce.
- Bake, covered, at 350°F (175°C) for
45 minutes; uncover. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Tip: Spoon ricotta mixture into a large
heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; snip off a corner of bag, and
squeeze filling into manicotti shells.
