Heather's Beef, Spinach & Cheese Manicotti

My daughter-in-law Heather loves Manicotti. She is 7 months pregnant right now and so I wanted to begin helping her with a little cooking. I decided to make her this very special Manicotti last week. She loved it. You will too.

Ingredients:

1 box Manicotti

1-2 lbs of ground beef (I use a grass-fed ground beef or you can use fresh chuck)

1 large yellow onion

1/2 cup baby spinach

1 large tub 15 oz Ricotta Cheese (I use whole milk)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I use prepacked)

1 small bag of Italian blend cheese (this includes parmesan, mozzarella, asiago, etc.) this will be for topping.

fresh chopped parsley (never worry about how much to chop. Chop whatever you grab)

1 jar marinara sauce (any brand you like) or Crushed Tomatoes by Cento

Olive Oil

Sea salt & Black pepper

In a heavy skillet add olive oil, ground beef, onions, salt and pepper. Saute until the meat is just cooked. Remove half of the beef and onions and reserve for ricotta stuffing.

Add to the remaining beef and onions the marinara sauce and heat gently until hot - then remove from stove.

In a large bowl add the ricotta, mozzarella and parsley. Mix well then add your baby spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend gently. When the beef held in reserve is cooled I add this next to the cheese mix and blend well.

You can cook your Manicotti at any time during this process, but I recommend you take the pasta out of the boiling water after 4 minutes. I remove my Manicotti with a slotted spoon and place the Manicotti on an sheet pan with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

Once the Manicotti is completely cool - gently stuff each one using a small spoon or your clean hands until full and place (single layer) in a large casserole baking dish.

Before adding the Manicotti, I add to the baking dish a bit of olive oil and a little of the sauce (without any meat).

Once all the Manicotti is placed - I pour the beef and marinara sauce right over the top - spreading to fully cover the pasta. To finish spread well the entire package of Italian cheese over the sauce.

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until very bubbly.

Quick Tips - You can cover the baking dish with foil and keep in your fridge until ready to bake. You can keep for one full day before baking.

If you wish you can place small bits of butter on the top before baking. It adds a nice color.

Enjoy!