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Meat Manicotti
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5 from 8 votes

Meat Manicotti

This Meat Manicotti is delectably different from everyday pasta dishes. In this video, I'll show you my trick to make stuffing pasta easier.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Passive time0 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 16 manicotti
Author: Francine Lizotte
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian, Italian-American
Keyword Beef, Comfort Food, Easy Recipe, Low Sodium, Pasta, Tailgating, Weeknight Recipes, Winter Recipes

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. and Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes.
  • 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.