Some days there is absolutely nothing I want more than a meaty, tomato-y, melted cheesy pasta dish. Like a lasagna, spaghetti, chicken parmesan or manicotti recipe. Today was that day. Well every day is that day, if I am being honest with myself.
But today, I made manicotti happen. Ricotta Beef Manicotti!
Our Ricotta Beef Manicotti recipe is saucy, cheesy and beefy! (Kinda like my husband.)
This is really a super easy meal to prepare, especially if you have leftover ground beef and some of our Simply Awesome Pasta Sauce on hand.
With our Ricotta Beef Manicotti recipe, you get all the flavors of lasagna, without all of the effort. This is also a great excuse to use your favorite bakeware!
Combine ricotta, parmesan, eggs, spinach, and seasonings. (You could skip the beef if you'd like.)
Add the beef to the ricotta mixture above and combine well. If you'd like you can substitute the beef with Italian sausage, or even half beef and half pork. We have not tried it with ground turkey, but hey...why not?
Don't like spinach? No problem, leave it out. You can add mushrooms, some roasted bell peppers, whatever you like.
I didn't invent manicotti, so you aren't going to hurt my feelings if you change it up a little. That is what makes cooking fun!
More recipes like this you are sure to love:
Easy Cheddar Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Spaghetti Casserole
Spanish Style Pork Pepper Sandwich Wraps
Put the stuffing in a plastic bag, cut the corner off, and easily stuff the pasta shells.
Prepare the pasta according to package directions, using the least time possible. For example, if they say boil from 8-10 minutes, boil for 8. The shells are easier to stuff if they are al dente. They will finish cooking in the oven.
Don't even bother trying to stuff the ricotta mixture in with a spoon. You will scream. And screaming in the kitchen is no fun. Just use the bag method for this manicotti recipe.
Place the stuffed shells in a baking dish, cover with sauce and cheese.
Resist the urge to eat the whole pan.
Hungry yet?! Serve with warm, buttery garlic bread and a bottle glass of wine.
Ricotta Beef Manicotti
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz package of manicotti pasta shells
- 1 lb ground beef browned and drained
- 1 15 oz container of ricotta
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup chopped fresh spinach
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 3 cups pasta sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ cup of pasta sauce on bottom of an 8x13 baking dish, and set aside.
- Cook manicotti according to package directions and drain.
- While pasta is cooking, combine ricotta, egg, spinach, parmesan, seasonings, and cooked ground beef. Stir to combine well.
- Spoon ricotta and beef mixture into plastic zip bag. Twist to tighten the bag and snip the corner off. Try to make the bag opening slightly smaller than the manicotti opening.
- Working slowly, squeeze the bag and stuff the manicotti shells one end at a time. Place stuffed shells in the baking pan. Top with the remaining 2 ½ cups of pasta sauce. Cover with shredded mozzarella.
- Bake for 30 minutes, remove and serve hot.
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