Spinach, Mushroom & Italian Three Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

I’m “stuffed” after last night’s dinner! On the menu this week: Spinach & Mushroom Manicotti.  I had fresh mozzarella to use up and thought Manicotti was a nice change from the usual Stuffed Shells I make.  For the manicotti filling, I sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic, threw in baby spinach and later combined everything with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and basil.  The end result was delish! My 100% Italian dinner guest agreed, which was the ultimate compliment!

Spinach, Mushroom & Three Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

What you will need for about 6-8 servings:

• 8 oz. box of Manicotti pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt for the pasta water
• About 4 quarts of water
• 2 Tbsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 8 oz. package of button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup of onions, finely chopped
• 1 bag of fresh baby spinach
• Salt & Pepper to season
• 2 eggs
• 2 lb. container of Ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped 
• 2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese (one for filling and another for sauce at the end)
• 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup for the filling and 1/4 cup for the sauce at the end)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Vegeta or 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt for cheese mixture
• 2 lb. jar of Prego Traditional Italian Sauce or any other sauce you like

Hardware: 

• Large pot
• Large frying pan
• Aluminum foil
• Baking dish
• Whisk or fork to beat eggs
• Teaspoon, small baby spoon, or plastic ziplock bag* 
• Wax paper, optional
• Tongs, optional but helpful
• Loaf of Italian or French bread, optional

*Before you get started, I wanted to share a helpful tip.  To make stuffing the manicotti easier on you, fill a plastic ziplock bag, cut off one of the corners and squeeze the filling into the manicotti shell.  This should be a lot easier and less messier than stuffing it with a teaspoon like I did. The directions below reflect how I stuffed them originally so if you end up using the plastic bag trick, let me know how it worked out for you.

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Spread 2 cups of sauce along the bottom of the baking pan and set aside.

• Fill a large pot with water (about 4 quarts) according to the pasta box directions and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, prepare the mushroom and spinach.

• Cook the pasta until it is al dente, drain, and rinse with cool water.

• Spread a sheet of either wax paper or aluminum foil down and lay the manicotti on it side-by-side.

Prepare the mushroom and spinach:

• Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.

• Finely chop 1/4 cup of an onion and mince a clove of garlic.  To remove the garlic peel, place the clove on a flat surface and smash it to break apart the skin. Use the flat side of a wide knife, flat side of a meat tenderizer, or a small pot, as in my case. 

• To clean the mushrooms, wipe them down with a damp cloth and chop them up.

• Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the heated frying pan.  Sauté and stir occasionally until the mushrooms have turned a darker color and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. 

• Add the bag of spinach and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Preparing the cheese filling:

• Chop about 6 large basil leaves which should produce 1/3 cup.

• In a large mixing bowl, slightly beat the eggs with a fork or whisk to combine them.

• Add the ricotta, one cup of mozzarella, half a cup of parmesan, chopped basil, half a teaspoon of Vegeta or salt, and stir to combine.

• Now, stir in the cooled spinach and mushroom mixture.

Stuffing the Manicotti:

• With a small spoon, gently stuff the filling into each manicotti shell being careful not to rip it. If it rips a little, don’t beat yourself up. It happens!

• Line all the stuffed manicotti down on the bottom of the sauced baking pan.

• Cover the shells with about 2 cups of sauce and spread mozzarella over the sauce.  

• Sprinkle about 1/4 of a cup of parmesan over the mozzarella.

• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

• After 30 minutes, uncover the pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes or so to melt the cheese. 

• Cool for a couple minutes before serving so the cheese filling sets.

• Serve with garlic bread and enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Bread 

What you will need:

• Loaf of Italian or French bread
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, spreadable butter or butter substitute
• Garlic bulb, roasted
• Chopped basil, optional
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Hardware:

• Baking sheet
• Aluminum foil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Peel away the outer layers of the garlic and cut a half inch off the pointed end of the garlic bulb.

• Place the garlic bulb on the baking sheet with the cut tops facing up and drizzle oil over the cloves.  

• Cover with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent the garlic from burning and roast for 10-12 minutes or until the garlic is soft. Allow to cool before handling.

• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

• Cut the loaf of bread down the middle and spread butter or oil over the top.

• Squeeze the roasted garlic and spread it on top of the bread. 

• Season with salt and pepper and put the bread in the oven for about 5 minutes.  You just want to slightly crisp the outside of the bread, leaving the inside soft.

• Remove from oven, spread chopped basil over the top (optional) and cut into 2-3 inch pieces lengthwise.  

Next week, I will be coloring Easter eggs and preparing my son’s first traditional Polish Easter basket for a Sunday breakfast feast!