Old-World Manicotti

By cwyorkiex3

Another method Grandma used to stuff the cooked manicotti was to pipe the filling into the pasta. First, Grandma would put the cheese mixture in a large, heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag. She would seal the bag and then cut off one corner, making the cut about the same size as the manicotti opening. Then she would gently squeeze the bag to fill the pasta with the cheese mixture.

Ingredients

• 12 large manicotti shells
• 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 6 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 jar (26 ounce) prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels.

For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and fresh basil. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture.

Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.