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A Great Make-Ahead Dish: Spinach Manicotti

Posted by lenleatherwood on

This is one of those tried and true recipes that you can count on when you want something special. It’s slightly different from stuffed shells. A little prettier.

Chicken_Cheese_n_Spinach_Manicotti

INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup minced onion
1 egg
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese,
divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Season with parsley, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. In a separate bowl, stir together spaghetti sauce and water.
3. Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

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Published by lenleatherwood

I am a native Texan who has lived for the past 30 years in Southern California. I am a published author of both short memoir and fiction, a two-time Pushcart nominee, a nationally award-winning writing coach, an editor, as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. In addition, I am the mother of three grown daughters of whom I am extremely proud, a grandmother of four darling children and the wife of a man I still love after 44 years.

6 Comments Add yours

  1. Nancilynn's avatar Nancilynn says:
    February 16, 2013 at 7:53 am

    I printed this out to make sometime. We loved the shells!

    Reply
    1. lenleatherwood's avatar lenleatherwood says:
      February 16, 2013 at 12:16 pm

      Wonderful! I think you’ll like this, too. It’s similar to the shells, but with more filling.

      Reply
  2. Let's CUT the Crap!'s avatar Let's CUT the Crap! says:
    February 16, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    I haven’t made manicotti in AGES. Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to make this next week–something we haven’t had for ages.

    Reply
    1. lenleatherwood's avatar lenleatherwood says:
      February 16, 2013 at 10:33 pm

      Great, Tess. This is a very good recipe. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  3. Lynn Goodwin's avatar Lynn Goodwin says:
    February 19, 2013 at 1:23 pm

    I love all the subjects, and I know you’re a skilled Flash Fiction writer. Could you share this information with your current students?

    WriterAdvice seeks flash fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction running 750 words or less. Enlighten, dazzle, and delight us with your prose. Finalists receive responses from all judges. Submit your work to the 8th WriterAdvice Flash Prose Contest by April 18, 2013. Complete details and Submittable link at http://www.writeradvice.com.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. lenleatherwood's avatar lenleatherwood says:
      February 19, 2013 at 4:21 pm

      I’m happy to pass this along, Lynn. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

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