Stuffed Manicotti

Spinach and ricotta stuffed Manicotti Ingredients:
1 box of large Manicotti
24 oz jar of Marinara sauce or the home made equivalent
1 15 oz container of reduced fat ricotta
2 cups Organic baby spinach, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella

Prep all ingredients and boil manicotti, strain and allow to cool slightly. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Spread most of the marinara sauce in the bottom of large glass baking dish. While allowing manicotti to cool, mix together the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, half of the mozzarella and salt and pepper to taste. Stuff Manicotti with cheese and spinach mixture. We cut the Manicotti in half so we could stuff it easier. (By "we" I mean my husband- who has been doing the majority (see: all) of the cooking since my morning sickness, the past 6 months.) Finally, pour the remaining marinara sauce on the manicotti and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cheesy mixture ready for stuffing:


Stuffing Process:


Makes a lot, enough for 3 and 1/2 and left overs. Plus, next time I think we'll add more veggies, like sautéed pan squash or zucchini, the ricotta can be a little overwhelming if you're not a huge fan to begin with.
Happy Cooking!