Tasty Tuesday (on Wednesday this week)...

I made this recipe last night and took it over to my in-laws for dinner. My mom-in-law was hemming some pants for Sloan (I know, I know; I should be doing this, but she is so much better at it) and I thought the least I could do was make dinner and bring it with us. Needless to say we all loved this manicotti, so I thought I would share it with you all in blog land!

BEEF & CHEESE MANICOTTI

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey last night in mine)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

14 (8 oz. pkg.) manicotti noodle

1 (15 oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used part-skim milk ricotta)

3 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I just sprinkled in some Italian seasoning blend that I had)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups marinara (of course, she has her own marinara recipe but I used Emeril's homestyle marinara sauce...our family is addicted to this stuff)

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, onion and ground beef (or turkey). Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet (I skipped this and just used my baking sheet with silpat and it was just fine). Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4-6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti form the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 & 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan and parsley (or Italian seasoning blend). Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 9x13 glass baking dish. Spoon 1 & 1/2 cups marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 & 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese then the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30-35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.