Manicotti

One of our family’s favorite dishes growing up was Pam’s “Manicotti” – which, Jim teases, is a misnomer, since she makes it with jumbo shell pasta, not manicotti.

Shells

25-30 jumbo shells
16 oz cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 pieces of bread
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Sauce

28 oz canned tomato sauce
28 oz canned whole tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic
½ tsp onion powder
1½ Tbsp Italian seasoning

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Cook shells in salted water until flexible but not cooked through. Rinse with cold water so they won’t burn your fingers.

For filling: Rip bread into small pieces and gently mix with all other filling ingredients in a large bowl.

For sauce: Pulse canned tomatoes, garlic, and other seasonings in blender until slightly chunky. Mix with tomato sauce and paste.

Coat the bottom of a 9×13″ pan with sauce. Stuff filling into shells and line up in pan. Pour remaining sauce over stuffed shells. Bake for 30 minutes (tips of shells will become crispy – if you don’t like that, cover dish with foil).

Yields: 8-10 servings

Time to make: 1 hr

Source: Pamela Peterson

Notes: Lots of delicious ingredients can be added to this simple filling: Risi & Angie both love adding browned Italian sausage and chopped spinach.