Manicotti Veloci

From Ars Cookbook

Submitted by brodie

I found this recipe on Barilla's website, and I've made it without the prosciutto, so if you want just cheese, you can easily take out the prosciutto. Also, I've used meat from the meatballs recipe to stuff the manicotti. I just don't use the eggs and breadcrumbs from that recipe, and mix it with the ricotta cheese in ~5:1 meat:cheese ratio.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) box manicotti
• 2 eggs
• 1 (32 oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (for mixing with the other cheeses)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (for topping before baking)
• 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (or romano) cheese (for mixing with the other cheeses)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (or romano) cheese (for topping before baking)
• 4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (or ham), chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 (26 oz.) jar marinara sauce

This recipe actually seems to make a good deal more cheese than is necessary, so you can play around with the amounts a little.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Cook manicotti for one minute less than package directions; drain and rinse in cool water. Cover; set aside.
3. Beat eggs lightly in medium bowl.
4. Stir in ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1 cup parmesan cheese, prosciutto, parsley and salt.
5. Add basil to marinara sauce.
6. Spread 3/4 cup sauce on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish.
7. Using a small spoon^[1], fill manicotti with cheese mixture; arrange in baking dish.
8. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti.
9. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
10. Cover with foil^[2]; bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

^[1] Instead of using a spoon to fill the manicotti, one can use a plastic bag with one corner cut off. Fill the bag with the cheese mixture and squeeze the mixture into the manicotti.
^[2] I didn't cover it with foil, and it was fine.

Note: If you wish to save this for a later date, cover first with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. You can refrigerate for no more than 24 hours, or freeze for up to 6 months. If you are cooking it frozen, allow at least 1-1.5 hours to cook.