Baked Manicotti

By kimvess

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 cups Angelo's Marinara Sauce (see below)
• 1 8-oz. box dried manicotti shells (about 14)
• 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 cups whole-milk ricotta
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 7 tbsp. chopped curly or flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 ⁄2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan with 1 tbsp. butter and spread 1⁄2 cup of the marinara sauce across the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the manicotti and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain manicotti and rinse under cold water; set aside.

2. Heat oven to 450°. Heat remaining butter in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer garlic to a medium bowl along with the ricotta, 1⁄2 cup parmesan, 5 tbsp. chopped parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and eggs and stir to combine.

3. Spoon some of the filling into both openings of each manicotti shell. (Alternatively, transfer the ricotta mixture to a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, snip off a bottom corner of the bag, and pipe filling into pasta.) Repeat with remaining manicotti shells. Transfer stuffed manicotti to prepared baking dish, making 2 rows. Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the manicotti and sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Angelo's Marinara Sauce
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1⁄2 small onion, finely chopped
1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano
1⁄4 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. finely chopped
curly or flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste


1 Put tomatoes and their liquid into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Set aside.


2 Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.


3 Add the chopped tomatoes along with the oregano and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and its flavors come together, about 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS




A little involved, but the end result was definitely worth the effort! My children, who are notoriously picky eaters, ate it up like candy. I might scale back on the garlic for my husband's delicate stomach, but I personally think the amount of garlic nicely balances the nutmeg. Doesn't need any added salt, with the ricotta and parmesan.

Delicious, though it won't look nearly as saucy as the photo implies. If you desire a saucier version, make more of the sauce. A single recipe felt a bit skimpy. And as for using a ziplock bag as a pastry bag to fill the manicotti shells? Hahahahahaha. Nope. The filling is too thick, and not about to be squeezed into a shell. Your fingers will actually work best for that.

I make Manicotti at the Restaurant and at home all of the time.I use 2# ricotta, 1/2C Regianno Parm, 2 Eggs, 1/2 T Oregano, 1/4 C chopped Fresh Parsley for the filling. This is mixed by hand and then put into a large pastry bag with a "filling" tip. This will usually fill 2 packs of store bought Manicotti shells. I fill them dry and then freeze. The ones I use the night of, are placed in a bed of Marinara, i use my buddy, Hooper's Sauces. These sauces are from Virginia and are the freshest sauces I have ever used from a jar.The extra moisture and tomato juice in these sauces mean that you have no need to precook your shells.

This was easier to make than I expected. I made Angelo's marinara, too, and was very pleased that something so easy to make was so delicious! The manicotti was incredible, very flavorful and rich filling. The nutmeg gave it a wonderful depth of flavor. Also, I loved that it used so much parsley, it made the dish taste really fresh. If you are looking for a warm, comforting, and indulgent dish then look no further!

Freahly chopped spinach and grated mozzarella adds more "depth" to the filling, like a lasagna cheese mixture. Also, try chopped sun-dried tomatoes under the marinara and parmesan if planning to use less sauce.

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