Meat Manicotti
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I started learning how to cook/bake in the 80s’. As a novice, I had a few recipes that I was proud of. No, I wasn’t cooking 👩‍🍳 any Beef Wellington or Chateaubriand yet but the simple dishes I was executing turned out to be pretty good. This is how I started getting confidence in my cooking journey.
 
One thing I liked to do was to make my favorite dishes from childhood 👧… not sure but I think we all do that, right? Anyway, one of them was pasta. It was easy to make and the chance of failure was pretty low until I started to venture further afield. That is when I realized that stuffing pasta can be quite a challenge!
 
Today, I’m sharing my delicious Meat Manicotti with you. You’ll understand why it’s so good when you make it. It has tons of flavor and the combination of ingredients makes this dish a star ⭐. Every time I serve it, I hear a lot of “mmm’s” around the table…
 
As many of you have probably given up on manicotti & cannelloni stuffing, I’ll show you my little trick to ease the stuffing process. After watching it 👀, you’ll be inclined to make stuffed pasta dishes more often. I also use this trick when I make my Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells.
 
This is a recipe that takes some time… you don’t want to rush the process especially when stuffing the pasta. You want to make it as neat as possible and stuff each manicotti evenly. I prefer to make my own sauce instead of buying it at the store. Here’s the link for it… Pasta Sauce. Also when you need to grate mozzarella 🧀 or any soft cheese, the task can be pretty messy and frustrating. To find out how to ease this task, click on this link… Secret for Better Grating Soft Cheeses/Butter
 
This Meat Manicotti is delicious! Served with a salad 🥗, it’s a great meal to have with your family and friends. After watching my little trick on the video, it should encourage you to try stuffing manicotti or other pasta more often!
Bon Appétit!🍽
 
Check out these other flavorful pasta recipes…😀
– Creamy Tortellini Boscaiola
– Potato Gnocchi
– Lady Athena’s Rockin’ Crab Shell Pasta
– Ultimate 8 Cheese Vegetable Lasagna
– Fettuccine alle Vongole ~ Clam Fettuccine
– Spicy Sausage Penne all’Arrabbiata
– Frankie’s Macaroni Casserole
and for even more pasta and pizza recipes 🍝🍕, click on this link… Recipe Category • Pasta & Pizza
 

 
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel 📽 by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
 

Meat Manicotti

Meat Manicotti

This Meat Manicotti is delectably different from everyday pasta dishes. Watch the video to find out about my trick to make stuffing easier.
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Servings manicotti

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Passive Time 0 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 3-4 cups pasta sauce, or as needed see Recipe
  • 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
  • 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
  • 3 slices bread, torn into small pieces
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 large free-run egg, beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups Mozzarella cheese, grated tips & tricks
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 g) ricotta cheese tips & tricks
  • 14-16 manicotti pasta, uncooked
  • 3/4 cup Grana Padano cheese, grated
  • 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped tips & tricks

Directions
 

  • Grease a baking dish with cooking spray and ladle a thin layer of pasta sauce (*see footnote) on the bottom; set aside.
  • In a large bowl filled with hot water from the tap, drop manicotti in and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. This will help to soften them up.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Halfway thru cooking, season with freshly ground black pepper before adding pressed garlic.
  • Remove from the heat and drain the meat; set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine bread and milk; let it sit for 2 minutes. Add a beaten egg and the drained meat; stir until combined.
  • Add mozzarella and ricotta cheese; stir until well blended.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • Working on one manicotti at a time, remove excess water and tightly stuff with meat mixture. Place stuffed pasta over the sauce in the prepared baking dish.
  • Ladle more pasta sauce over the stuffed manicotti; set aside.
  • In a small bowl combine parmesan and parsley. Sprinkle the parmesan mixture on top of the manicotti before transferring the the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and let is rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Footnote: When I make my sauce for this particular recipe, I skip the meat.

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