Janice's Manicotti

In my house, we like pasta dishes a lot.  So when a friend told me she liked to make this recipe for special occasions, I said I'd like to try it.

My friend, Janice Berru, was happy to share this recipe with me, providing helpful hints at the top of the page!  It was a big hit with my guys, as they gave it 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.  Janice was pleased when I told her that her recipe was blog worthy and that I would be sharing it soon!

I began by preheating the oven to 350°F.  I then placed the sausage in a large skillet and browned it over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooked.  While that was cooking, I began heating water to boiling in a Dutch oven to cook the manicotti according to the package directions. 

To the browned sausage, I added the chopped garlic and cooked an additional 2 minutes to let the garlic cook, but not brown.

I then added the spinach, stirring to combine and cooked it an additional 5 minutes.

Once the manicotti was cooked, I placed the pan in the sink and started a stream of cold water running into the pan to replace the boiling water.  This stops the cooking process and by keeping the pasta in water, it prevents the pieces from sticking together.

In a large bowl, I beat the eggs using a fork.  Then I added the ricotta cheese, basil and salt, stirring to combine.

To that mixture I added the sausage mixture, stirring to combine.

After greasing a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, I added enough pasta sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the dish.

After removing a manicotti shell from the water and blotting it with a paper towel, I filled it with the sausage mixture using a spoon.  I found it easiest to fill from one end first, then turn it over and continue  from the other end.  This is a messy process.  I repeated this with the rest of the pasta, placing them in the baking dish as each one was filled.

I poured the remaining pasta sauce over the top of the manicotti.

Then I sprinkled the parmesan cheese on top.  I covered the dish with foil and baked it in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes.  I then uncovered the dish and baked it for an additional 10 minutes.

I served this dish with Leon Salad (previous post) and some garlic bread.  What a treat!  Enjoy!

Janice’s Manicotti

1 box manicotti

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bag fresh spinach, chopped

2 eggs

1 (15 oz.) contain ricotta cheese

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 jar pasta sauce

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a Dutch oven, bring water to a boil.  Add manicotti and gently boil for 7 minutes.  Remove pot from heat, place in sink and run cold water into pot, replacing the boiling water with cold water.  In the meantime, cook Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.  Add garlic.  Sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure the garlic does not brown.  Stir in chopped spinach and cook an additional 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs; stir in ricotta, basil and salt.  Stir in sausage/spinach mixture.  Fill the manicotti tubes with the mixture.  Lightly grease a 9-x13-inch baking dish and spread enough pasta sauce to lightly cover the bottom.  Place stuffed manicotti in baking dish.  Pour remaining pasta sauce over the filled shells and sprinkle with cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.