Baked Manicotti

I'm in the process of restocking my freezer with homemade meals
and I realized I never got around to posting about my Manicotti!

I've made this a few times and love it every time.
In fact - I still have a batch frozen right now to eat soon!

Now keep reading to see how I made my Manicotti.

The Goods:

Manicotti Noodles

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Eggs

Marinara Sauce

Fresh Herbs

Garlic Salt

(Full recipe at bottom of post.)

Cook your manicotti and set aside to cool.

Add the cheeses, eggs, fresh herbs and garlic salt to bowl.

Mix everything well.

Stuff the noodles with mixture.

 I find using a piping bag the easiest.

Place filled noodles in greased baking dish,

cover with marinara sauce to your liking.

Add more cheese and chopped fresh herbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

And it's done!

Serve and enjoy!!!

Cheese Manicotti Recipe

2 Eggs

15 ounces Ricotta Cheese

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/4 grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese

1 to 2 teaspoon Fresh Basil, Parsley or both

1 teaspoon Garlic Salt

20 Manicotti Noodles

2 cups Marinara Sauce

1. Put egg, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, half the herbs and garlic salt in mixing bowl.

2. Mix on low for about 30 seconds - until it's well combined.

3. Put mixture into piping bag and fill each noodle.

4. Place filled noodles in a greased casserole dish.

5. Pour marinara sauce over noodles and add a little more cheese.

6. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

7. Remove foil from dish and return to oven for 5 or so minutes.

8. Take pan out of the oven and top with the remaining fresh basil.

I adapted this recipe from a Stuffed Shell recipe I've used in the past,

so if you cant find Manicotti noodles, feel free to use Giant Shells instead!

Baked Ziti

I could have SWORN I've posted about Baked Ziti before!

But when I went to find the post for a friend,

it wasn't there!!!

I was shocked!

I've made this recipe FOREVER.

And even though I call it Baked Ziti, 

I don't think I've ever used real Ziti pasta.

I mix it up, but tend to use Rotini most often.

Now, let me show you how to make Baked Ziti,
or Baked Rotini, or whatever you wanna call it!

The Goods:

1 Box Pasta - Ziti, Rotini, Rigatoni, WHATEVER your little heart desires!

1 1/2 Cups Pasta Sauce - I use jarred Marinara, but you can always make your own.

7 1/2 Ounces Ricotta Cheese - I prefer to use Part Skim.

1 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - Again, I like to use Part Skim. 

1/4 to 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese - Fresh is best, but canned is ok if that's all you have!

1 to 2 Cloves Garlic - TOTALLY optional. I used to use it, but haven't the last few time.

Cook your pasta until al dente, which is usually about 5 minutes.

Don't worry - your pasta will cook a lil more when it bakes!

Once cooked, drain pasta and return to the pot you cooked it in.

Add almost all the cheese (reserve a little Mozzarella and Parmesan)

and mix it all up until pretty well combined.

If you're using garlic, add that too!

Now here come the fun part...

Time to layer your pasta!

Start with a layer of sauce and then add about half your pasta mixture.

Do another layer of sauce and add the rest of your pasta.

Add one more layer of sauce and your reserved cheese.

Now you can either bake the Ziti, or Rotini, or whatever you're using...

OR you can freeze it to use at a later date like I did!

CONFESSION!!!

I actually DOUBLED the recipe.

I not only made one to bake right away and eat,

 but I also made one to freeze and bake at a later date!

Whenever you decided to bake your pasta, 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

You want the cheese on top to fully melt and get a little color.

Before I go, one last quick tip!

I usually move the pasta from the freezer to the fridge 

the night before I want to bake it so it has time to defrost.

If you forget to do so, you'll just want to bake your pasta longer!