Mark hates lumpy cheeses. "It ruins a dish", he says. The mouth-feel of little curds rolling around the tongue is an unappealing experience to him. And as for the flavor, "What flavor?"
Mozzarella is one of the only cheeses he'll tolerate. "I don't want any stinky foot cheese," he'll warn me. It's not too hard to find a happy medium, though.
Spinach Manicotti
with Cream Cheese and Mozzarella
Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Total: 35 minutes, plus cooling time
Makes: about 2 cups of filling/fills about 4-6* manicotti
Equipment:
Large bowl, small casserole dish (8x8), medium heavy duty zip bag (e.g. Ziploc freezer bag)
Ingredients:
1 8oz
block
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cream cheese or Neufchatel, cubed
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2 cups
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shredded mozzarella, separated
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3 toes
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garlic, minced (optional)
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1 ½ cups
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chopped fresh or frozen spinach
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2 cups
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pasta sauce
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4-6
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manicotti*
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*quantity depends on how much is filled into noodles.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Cook manicotti according to package instructions until al dente (as in, slightly chewy).
2. Place spinach, garlic (if using), 1 1/4 cup of mozzarella, and cubed cream cheese into a large bowl. Using hands, blend ingredients together until well combined. (Or just use a spoon to stir together.)
 |
| I like gettin' messy... |
3. Place mixture into a medium heavy duty plastic storage bag. Cut the tip of the bag so where the filling mixture can easily be piped out. Squeeze mixture into cooked manicotti shells, a little more than halfway full from bottom to top (for only 4 shells, fill even more).
4. Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom of a small casserole dish, and arrange filled manicotti on top. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
5. Bake pasta for about 10-15 minutes, or until the mozzarella has light golden spots. Place dish on heat-proof surface, and let cool about 5 minutes before serving.
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