Italian Manicotti with Meat Sauce

 Italian Manicotti  with Meat Sauce is rich and cheesy, you can make it without the Meat or use Italian Sausage if you like. This is so good you need to make it

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6 servings

What you Need:

1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and well washed or a 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
Kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
12-14 manicotti shells(depends on brand)
3 cups meat marinara sauce, recipe follows
1  cups ricotta cheese (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (we like it thicker so we use more of this cheese)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or a mixture of half Pecorino and Parmesan
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt, as well. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (do not drain), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop.

In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta shells until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain and pat dry. (I cook the pasta about 7 minutes so it's firm to stuff)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the spinach. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shell and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce. Scatter the remaining cheese on top and dot with the butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Meat Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh basil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Steps to make it:

chop your veggies up, 

I have frozen spinach to add(optional

The cheeses

How to mix your cheese

put cheese into a baggie, cut the corner off to fill shells

Parmesan Crusted Baked Chicken

This Melt In Your Mouth Chicken Bake is a flavorful chicken dish that will easily become a favorite! Only a few ingredients needed, most of which you may already have on hand

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Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts, boneless/diced
3/4 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Instructions

Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan and place diced chicken on the bottom. Put on a pot of water to boil for spaghetti.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise (or yogurt), Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Spread mixture evenly on top of chicken.

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of mayonnaise mixture.

Place pan in preheated oven, 375 degrees, and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove pan from oven and use a slotted spoon to serve chicken on top of pasta, rice, or by itself. Enjoy!

A side dish I cooked with this is Oven Roasted Tomatoes, https://cherylstastyhomecooking.blogspot.com/2021/12/roasted-cherry-tomatoes.html I served some on top, get the recipe here

Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Mushroom and Spinach

Here is a vegetarian dish that is really creamy full of flavors of garlic, parmesan, Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes if you like them, and mushrooms and spinach. If you want you may add chicken or beef just cook it ahead and add in to the sauce with the rest and serve.

#recipeideas #Ilovetocook #comfortfoods #cooking #goodfoods #pastarecipes #vegetarianrecipes

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4 SERVINGS   

What you Need:

14 oz pasta(your choice)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz mushrooms, sliced
10 oz fresh spinach
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, optional

How to make it:

To make the creamy parmesan spinach mushroom pasta skillet: Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, according to the package instructions.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until translucent and slightly browned. Remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet, add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes until browned. Add a bit of oil if necessary. Remove mushrooms to the plate with onion and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until just wilted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove spinach and drain excess water. Transfer to another plate.

Still in the same skillet, heat a little oil, add the chopped garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then deglaze with vegetable broth. Add cream, grated parmesan, chili pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until combined and the cream gets some color.

Once the pasta is ready, add mushrooms, onion, and spinach back to the skillet, then put drained pasta and toss to combine. Add more parmesan and Italian seasoning and give a quick stir. Serve the creamy parmesan spinach mushroom pasta with red chili pepper flakes and more parmesan, if you like. Enjoy!