Florentine Manicotti Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter in small skillet on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 3 min. or until onions are crisp-tender. Place in medium bowl. Add spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, eggs, lemon juice and pepper; mix well. Spoon into manicotti shells.
• Place in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover.
• Bake 40 min. or until heated through. About 5 min. before manicotti is done, heat the pasta sauce.
• Serve manicotti topped with sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9x2-inch non-reactive baking pan; set aside.
• Prepare manicotti according to package directions; drain and set aside.
• Combine spinach, mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese and nutmeg in a bowl. Fill manicotti shells with spinach mixture. Place in prepared baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce on top.
• Cover and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until cheese is bubby.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the Alfredo sauce: Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.
• Add the garlic and leeks to the skillet with the remaining bacon fat and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half, Parmesan, crushed red pepper and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Add the cream cheese and cook until the sauce is thickened and the cheese is melted and fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and black pepper.
• For the filling: Add the spinach, ricotta, chicken, Italian blend cheese, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a large bowl and mix until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to a large disposable piping bag (or resealable plastic bag) and snip a large hole at the end of the bag.
• For the pasta: Spoon 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a flameproof (not glass) 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pipe the filling into both ends of the uncooked manicotti shells until filled and arrange them in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce, reserved bacon and Italian blend cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the pasta is cooked, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil. Turn the oven to broil. Broil until the top is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with more chopped parsley.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• If using fresh spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt. Boil the spinach until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (keep the water in the pot boiling), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop. Set aside.
• In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the manicotti shells according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and pat dry.
• Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the grated cheese and mix until evenly combined. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the nutmeg and pepper. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining 2 cups sauce. Scatter the remaining 2/3 cup grated cheese on top and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and season with pepper to taste. Use right away, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Yield: 3 1/2 cups
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

Steps:

• Place flour in a bowl; whisk in milk, eggs and salt until smooth. Heat a lightly greased 8-in. skillet; pour about 2 tablespoons batter into center of skillet. Spread into a 5-in. circle. Cook over medium heat until set; do not brown or turn. Repeat with remaining batter, making 18 crepes. Stack crepes with waxed paper in between; set aside. , For filling, combine cheeses, egg and parsley. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons down the center of each crepe; roll up. Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Place crepes, seam side down, over sauce; pour remaining sauce over top. , Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through. Sprinkle with Romano cheese if desired.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, separate shells, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). In a 9 x 13 baking dish, combine veal, carrots, celery, chopped half onion and spinach. Stir well. Stir in 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil and white wine. Place in oven and roast until veal is brown and vegetables are soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir frequently. If meat begins to smoke, reduce heat to 400 degrees (200 degrees C).
• Let meat mixture cool 15 minutes, then process in food processor until finely chopped. Return to pan and stir in cream, Roma tomatoes, Parmesan, Italian seasoning and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil. Bake 20 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool.
• While meat mixture is cooling enough to handle, make tomato sauce. Puree canned tomatoes with their juice in food processor until smooth. In large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil. Saute garlic and chopped onion until soft. Stir in pureed tomato, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, or until no longer watery. Add four chopped basil leaves and cook 1 minute more.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stuff pasta shells with cooled meat mixture, 2 to 3 tablespoons per shell. Place shells in clean 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour tomato sauce over shells and bake 20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly.