Whenever we visit an Italian restaurant our order mostly consists of one dish like stuffed manicotti or cannelloni. Our kids just love the gooey cheesy taste and they totally enjoy each and every bite of it. My problem is that I feel they are very heavy and a little bland. Blame my Indian taste buds but if there is no kick in the dish (not spicy, just a hint of spice), I do not like it. So sometimes I like to bake these at home with less cheese and use a lovely semi-homemade marinara sauce. Additionally what I do is saute the spinach in butter for a few minutes using garlic. The beautiful garlic flavour infused in spinach brings a lovely flavour out of it. It tastes delicious and is really drool-worthy. Don’t go by the looks of this dish, I have done so much work to get it but it’s really easy. It takes 45 minutes to make it from start to finish. I will suggest that you make a big batch of it. Keep it in the freezer and store it for coming dinners. They are just ideal for potlucks or get-togethers.
What ingredients do we need for Spinach Ricotta stuffed Manicotti?
Manicotti Shells-Store bought manicotti shells are available in all the big superstores. Spinach -You can use fresh or frozen any type. Ricotta Cheese-I have used one 15 oz jar of ricotta cheese for this recipe. Parmesan Cheese-⅓ cup of grated parmesan is needed for this recipe .I have used ve version of that. Mozzarella Cheese-We need around 1 cup of mozzarella cheese in this recipe. Use good quality shredded cheese for that. Marinara sauce-A good quality marinara sauce is required for this recipe. Garlic Red Pepper Flakes Crushed Black Pepper Salt
What can we serve with this stuffed Manicotti?
This is quite filling and perfect for a filling lunch or dinner but we can serve a Vine Ripe Cherry Tomato ,Basil Pesto and Rosemary Focaccia with this, and a Wild Rice and Arugula Salad and a Mango Coconut Panna Cotta.
