I have always thought that manicotti was one of those foods that took too much time to make. That it was not something you could just whip up for the evening meal.

Thanks to the quarantine, I now know that this is not only better than anything I have had in an Italian restaurant, I know that it’s not that hard to make.

Seriously, the hardest part of the entire recipes is piping the cheese mixture into the manicotti and using a ziploc baggie makes that a snap.

You can even make the cheese mixture ahead of time and put it in the refrigerator and pull it out when you are ready. Oh, and did I mention that this is great to throw into the freezer and pull out on a busy night?

Or one of those nights when you are trying to impress someone with those fancy cooking skills!

INGREDIENTS

10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
12 manicotti shells
4 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Thaw spinach, drain and finely chop.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the manicotti shells according to the package directions until al dente. You want them tender but still slightly firm. Drain the noodles and pat dry or lay out of a paper towel for a few minutes.

Cover the bottom of a 9″ x 6″ ovenproof foil pan (for freezing) or baking dish with 1/2 cup of marinara sauce.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, eggs, and spinach. Stir in salt and pepper.

Using a pastry bag or ziploc bag with one of the corners cut off, pipe the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells. Line the filled manicotti shells in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover each pan of filled pasta with 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the noodles.

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