Baked Manicotti recipe

Well, Gwen's health was short-lived.  She's having shifting problems again.  I was fine going to work this evening but couldn't downshift into 2nd or 1st when I was almost home.  The funny thing was that when I came to a complete stop, I could shift through all the gears again.  So, I get to take her back to my cranky mechanic on Monday.

Dinner was good, though.  I made manicotti.  Several of my grown children are vegetarians so this recipe will suit them just fine.

I made the marinara sauce from scratch.  It's pretty quick; only 20 minutes cooking time.  I think the flavor of this sauce is better than most of the bottled sauces that I buy. Quick, tasty, and easy - those are wonderful attributes for recipes in my household!

It's easier to pipe the filling into the manicotti shells rather than try to spoon the stuff in.  I didn't have a giant pastry bag on hand so I used a ziplock bag.  You just spoon the filling into the bag, press out all the air, twist a corner of the bag to force the filling into the other corner, snip off the corner of the bag where the filling is, and then squeeze the filling into the shells.  So much easier than using a spoon.

Both recipes come from Saveur magazine. I added grated carrot to the original recipe for the manicotti filling hoping to add a little more vitamins to the meal.  I think the carrots make the filling prettier, too.

Manicotti before going in the oven

Manicotti after coming out of the oven

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

Baked Manicotti

4 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 cups Angelo's Marinara Sauce (above)
1 8-oz. box dried manicotti shells (about 14)
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups whole-milk ricotta
1 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
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

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, grated carrots, 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.
SERVES 6