Cheese Manicotti Florentine
Submitted by cristy
Spinach and three-cheese stuffed manicotti with sautéed mushrooms, baked in spaghetti sauce until bubbly. No-boil shells make this Florentine-style pasta a breeze.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
75 minFlorentine means spinach in Italian cooking, and this manicotti puts it front and center alongside a rich trio of cheeses.
Ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan get mixed with wilted spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and a whisper of nutmeg that pulls everything together.
The best part? You stuff the shells uncooked. The sauce does the work of softening them in the oven, saving you the hassle of boiling and handling slippery pasta tubes.
Thirty-five minutes in the oven and dinner is on the table, bubbling and golden under a Parmesan crust.
Kitchen Tips
- Squeeze as much water as possible from the spinach so the filling stays thick and doesn’t make the shells soggy
- Reserve a quarter of the mushroom and onion sauté to stir into the sauce for extra depth
- Make sure the sauce covers every shell completely since any exposed pasta won’t cook through
Variations
- Swap spinach for kale or Swiss chard for a heartier green
- Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts for a Mediterranean twist
- Use cottage cheese instead of ricotta for a lighter, more budget-friendly filling
Ingredients
Directions
Sauté chopped onions and mushrooms until tender.
Steam chopped spinach until wilted (or use thawed frozen spinach).
Combine ricotta, mozzarella, ¾ cup of the Parmesan, eggs, parsley, spices.
Add spinach and ¾ of sauté to mixture.
Fill uncooked manicotti shells; place filled shells in a single layer in a greased 13×9 inch baking pan.
Add remaining sauté to spaghetti sauce.
Cover manicotti with sauce.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) F for 35 minutes.
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