Manicotti Pasta with Cheese

Everyone enjoys a fresh dish of Manicotti pasta oozing with tomato sauce and cheese.  Two or three served with a salad and dipping bread make for a satisfying meal.

When my mom made them she also served either meat balls or Italian sausage, sometimes putting sausage into the stuffing mixture.

Now days I see many recipes on the Internet for different kinds of stuffing and sauces, but I like to make our family's basic traditional cheese style using ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.  If serving only a few people, it  freezes well for future meals or lunches.

Manicotti Pasta with Cheese
12-14, an 8-ounce package of  manicotti
1  15-ounce container ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 Tabs. chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. dry Italian herb mixture
3 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray or oil a baking sheet covered with foil.  Cook manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still firm to the bite, about 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer manicotti to the baking sheet and cool.

Combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix well.  Fill tubes with mixture with a spoon, or put mixture in a plastic bag, snip a corner, and squirt into tubes.

Spread a layer of sauce over the bottom of a sprayed the 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.  Arrange stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish, and spoon remaining sauce over pasta.

Sprinkle the top with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Bake manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 35-40 minutes. Let manicotti stand 5 minutes before serving. 
Serves 6-8.

Estimated cost: $9.00 or less; $1.50 per serving or less.