Cheesy Manicotti Recipe & Tops Sale on Most Ingredients

Cheesy Manicotti

Makes: 12 Servings

Adapted From: Cooking with Paula Deen Magazine, Volume 8 Issue 5 September/October 2012, Page 32

2 (8-ounce) Packages Manicotti

1 (2-pound) Container Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 (10-ounce) Package Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed and Squeezed Dry

4 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 (16-ounce) Package Sliced, Fresh Mozzarella

2 Cups Fresh Shredded Romano Cheese

2 Large Eggs, Beaten

2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley

2 Teaspoons Dried Italian Seasoning

2 (1-Pound) Jars Pasta Sauce

½ Cup Brown Sugar

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1.      Preheat oven to 350˚.  Spray 2-13x9 inch baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray.

2.    Cook Manicotti according to package directions; drain, rinse and set aside.  (I rinse the Manicotti with cold water to help prevent them from sticking together & tearing apart…)  Use a paper towel to wipe off water leftover from rinsing the Manicotti.

3.    In a large bowl, stir together Ricotta, Spinach, Shredded Mozzarella, Romano, Eggs, Parsley, Italian Seasoning and Salt & Pepper.  Fill a 1 Gallon Ziploc Bag with Cheese Mixture.  Snip off one corner of the bag & Pipe Cheese Mixture into Manicotti.  I pipe the mixture in from both ends to achieve a fuller Manicotti.

4.    Mix Brown Sugar & Pasta Sauce.  *Tip: Don’t dirty another bowl!  Add the Brown Sugar right into the jar of the Pasta Sauce and use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix… You won’t be able to fit ALL the Brown Sugar into the jars so you’ll need to pour a little sauce into the bottoms of the 13x9 inch baking dishes first…  After Brown Sugar & Pasta sauce is combined pour about 1 ½ Cups of Pasta Sauce into the bottoms of each of the 13x9 inch baking dishes.

5.    Place Stuffed Manicotti over sauce.  Pour remaining sauce over Manicotti and top with Fresh Mozzarella slices.

6.    Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Serve with Cheesy Garlic Bread and Tossed Salad.

Find some of the ingredients for this recipe on sale at Tops this week!

Galbani Fresh Mozzarella Balls 8 oz pkg B1G1

$1/1 Precious Galbani Cheese, exp. 11/30/12 (SS 08/12/12) If Included in Sale
$1/1 Precious Galbani Cheese, Printable If Included in Sale
Use with Tops $1 Doubler
Final Cost Unknown

Prego Pasta Sauce 3/$5 
$1/3 Prego Sauce, exp. 10/6/12 (SS 09/09/12 #2)
Use with Tops $1 Doubler
Final Cost as low as 3/$3 or $1 each

BelGioioso Grated Cheese $9.99 Pound 

Egglands Best Large Eggs 18 Pk 1/$3.29
$0.50/1 Eggland's Best Eggs, exp. 12/31/12 (SS 09/30/12) Doubles to $1
Final Cost 1/$2.29