Beef and Cheese MANICOTTI
- ½ pound (8 ounces) ground beef
- ½ cup finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)
- 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 12 pieces of manicotti pasta (from one 8-ounce box)
- 1½ cups Marinara Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
Instructions:
I like to make individual portions ahead of time, and freeze them. When I get home really late from work, I just pop one in the microwave and have a full, comforting meal in mere minutes.
- Heat a Medium-Size, heavy skillet over a medium flame. Add the ground beef and onion and sauté until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir in the meat mixture and set aside.
- Brush 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over a large baking sheet. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Working in batches, add the manicotti and cook until softened but still firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the prepared baking sheet and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
- Spoon ½ cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheesemeat mixture, and arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining cup of sauce over the manicotti. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and then the remaining ¼ cup of
- Parmesan cheese over the manicotti. Dot the top with the butter pieces. (The manicotti can be prepared up to this point 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
- Bake the manicotti uncovered until it is heated through and the sauce bubbles on the bottom of the dish, about 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand for 5 minutes and serve.