Baked Manicotti

Ingredients

• Ricotta cheese

  Part skim milk

  15 oz or 425g

• Ground beef

  95% lean meat / 5% fat, raw

  ¾ lb or 340g

• Onions

  Raw

  ¼ cup, chopped or 40g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 cloves, minced or 6g

• Parsley

  Raw

  4 tbsp or 15g

• Mozzarella cheese

  Part skim milk

  2 cup, shredded or 224g

• Parmesan cheese

  Low sodium

  ¼ cup, grated or 25g

• Egg

  Whole, fresh eggs

  1 large or 50g

• Salt

  Table

  ¼ tsp or 2g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  1 dash or 0.1g

• Pasta sauce

  Spaghetti/marinara, ready-to-serve

  4 cup or 1.03kg

• Manicotti

  Barilla

  14 pieces or 233g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a heavy medium skillet over high heat, cook the ground beef with salt and pepper until browned, then drain.
3. Add onion and garlic to the skillet, cooking until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, cooled beef, half the parsley, half the mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper. Fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with the mixture and stuff each uncooked manicotti shell with about 1/4 cup.
5. Spread one-fourth of the marinara sauce in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti shells in a single layer over the sauce and top with remaining sauce.
6. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for 60 to 65 minutes until pasta is tender.
7. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese, and bake uncovered for 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
8. Serve garnished with remaining parsley.