manicotti for dinner

I said I was going to start posting random food blogs! 😂 I mean why not? I can’t blog about travel with this lockdown happening.

So the other night we had manicotti. Now I probably make it wrong HAHA but I make it how we like it.

So first thing, preheat that oven to 350°f / 180°c. I boil the manicotti noodles for 8 minutes. After that I drain them and instantly gently put the noodles back in the tray they came in to cool enough to handle but helps them keep shape.

Stuffing is going to be hard, because I eyeball EVERYTHING! ALWAYS! But ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, and shredded parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste and a tiny bit of dried parsley.

For the sauce, I cook hot Italian sausage and once its browned add a large clove of fresh garlic with my garlic press. Then, because its easy, I use store bought tomato + basil pasta sauce. Brand of your choice.

Now you’re ready to put this all together. Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom on your oven safe pan. Easiest for me is to put the ricotta cheese mixture into a piping bag (yes what you use for icing) and then squeeze into the manicotti shells and place in my pan on top of the sauce. Once you are done with stuffing all the shells pour the remaining mixture on top of the noodles. Because we love cheese top with more mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta dollops. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Once out of the oven I top with fresh basil. Serve. Enjoy.