Beef and Cheese Manicotti

This is my take on Giada's recipe. Since I make large batches of marinara sauce with meat already in it, I just omit the meat from the filling and use my sauce. This is a super easy go-to recipe for a weeknight. I can prep it and then let it sit in the fridge until I'm ready to cook it off. And if I already have the sauce made and in the freezer, it comes together super fast!



Olive oil
14 manicotti
1 (15-oz) container whole milk ricotta
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan (splurge for the good stuff!)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce with meat in it, or:
1 pound ground beef and
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter, cut up

If there is not meat in your sauce, then brown it with the onion. You can then add it to the marinara sauce or the cheese filling. Your choice, enjoy the flexibility.
If you are like me and the meat is in your sauce already, then proceed as follows:
Cook the manicotti about 4-6 minutes - you want it slightly softened, but with some bite. Since it will be baking in all that saucy, cheesey goodness, you don't have to cook it all the way. Oil a baking sheet so when you take it out of the boiling water they don't stick together. While they are cooling, mix together the filling.
Combine the ricotta cheese with 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Add the garlic.
Preheat oven to 350.
Spoon half of your sauce over the bottom of a 13X9X2 inch pan. Fill the pasta with the cheese mixture. Place them on top of the sauce in the pan. Cover with the rest of the sauce and then sprinkle over the cheese. Dot with butter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with a delicious salad and life is heavenly!

Okay, so what I do is split this recipe because my family is small. I use two 8X8 pans and freeze one. Sometimes, the filling doesn't fill them all. I just add more ricotta and mozzarella. So this will serve 4-6 people, depending on their hunger level. Those with bigger families, double it! And it makes for great leftovers.