Spinach Ricotta Manicotti | Vegetarian

Manicotti is a pasta noodle shaped like a tube. It's about 4-inches long, and 1-inch in diameter. Usually it's boiled until al dente, then cooled, filled with some kind of cheese filling, covered with sauce and baked. The shells are soft after they are cooked and they need to be filled in very gently. 

What kind of filling:

I have used spinach, carrots, onions and ricotta cheese. You can go ahead and use any other filling which combines together to form a sticky dumpling when squeezed. Boiled peas, potatoes or cauliflower or steamed brocolli filling would be a great alternatives. 

Ingredients:

 1 box (8 oz.) Barilla manicotti pasta

    

• 24 oz. any pasta sauce.
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• 12 oz. fresh or frozen spinach chopped
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•  1 medium sized onion finely chopped
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• 1/2 cup grated carrots
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• 8 oz. ricotta cheese
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• 1 cup shredded cheddar and monetary jack cheese
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• 1/2 cup monzarella cheese
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• Salt to taste
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• 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped.
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• Italian seasoning or Basil
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• Preparation:
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• Cook Manicotti pasta according to the package instructions. 
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• Heat up a pan, add olive oil, sauté garlic, chopped onions, grated carrots for 2 minutes till onions are cooked. 
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• Add chopped spinach and cook them till they reduce in quantity. Cook until all liquid is absorbed from the spinach. 
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• Add Ricotta cheese to the spinach veggie mixture and mix until well combined. Add this spinach Ricotta mixture in a piping bag and snip off the tip. 
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• Squeeze the mixture from the pipping bag into the cooked Manicotti shells.
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• In a non stick pan, spread pasta sauce, place the filled Manicotti pasta shells on the sauce. Cover the shells with more sauce to ensure they don’t dry up while cooking in pan.
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• Add cheese on top and cover the pan until the cheese is melted. You can use any cheese you want and feel free to increase or decrease the amount depending on your taste. Of course, more cheese, better the taste!!! 😉

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

1. You can refrigerate this dish up to three days.  

2. Warm it in the pan on both sides

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