Spinach And Mushroom Manicotti

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 16 ounces manicotti (you might only use 1 box but count on some noodles splitting while they cook)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces mushrooms, i like to use fresh, it really makes a huge difference, a whole small box like you buy at the grocer
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, depending on size, if your not a big fan of garlic just use 1
• 6 ounces chopped fresh spinach, you can use frozen you will need about 10 oz thawed and dried
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 26 ounces of your own spaghetti sauce or 26 ounces about 1 1/2 jars store bought spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, again i like to use fresh, the taste is much better. have extra for the dinner table

Recipe

• 1 preheat your oven to 350°f.
• 2 cook manicotti noodles for 7 minutes, drain and rinse with cool water; set aside.
• 3 heat oil or butter in a large pan over about medium heat, sauté mushrooms and garlic till mushrooms are tender.
• 4 add spinach and continue cooking about 5 minutes, careful not to overcook mushrooms and garlic. drain and set aside.
• 5 beat eggs lightly in a large bowl and ricotta cheese, basil and salt. stir in mushroom mixture. if this ends up being a little too runny for stuffing your manicotti, you can use regular parmesan cheese like you.
• 6 keep in your fridge as a kind of filler to thicken it up a bit.
• 7 spread about a cup of sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. fill manicotti with mushroom/cheese mix place in dish and cover with sauce. sprinkle the fresh parmesan cheese on top and cover with foil.
• 8 bake for 30 minutes. uncover and place bake in over for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.