Pasta and Pasta Sauce Recipes
Three Cheese Manicotti
These tender manicotti shells are actually crepes, and can be stuffed with a variety of fillings, including creamy chicken or a hearty Bolognese sauce.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups (15 ounces) ricotta cheese), preferably fresh
- 1 cup (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella
- 2/3 cup coarsely chopped basil
- Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- Unsalted butter
- 3 cups tomato sauce, preferably homemade
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta with the mozzarella, basil, 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper.
- In a blender, process the flour, water, eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
- Heat an 8 inch crepe or omelet pan over moderately high heat. Lightly butter the pan and add 2 tablespoons batter; working quickly, swirl the pan to coat it evenly. Cook until the top of the crepe is dry and the bottom is lightly
golden about 1 minute. Flip the crepe and cook until the bottom is lightly golden, about 20 seconds longer. Transfer the crepe to a large plate and repeat with the remaining batter to make a total of 16 crepes.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish with 1 cup of the tomato sauce.
- Arrange the crepes on a work surface. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling in a line down the center of each crepe. Loosely roll up the crepes and arrange them, seam side up, side by side in the baking dish. Pour the remaining 2 cups of tomato sauce over the manicotti and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tomato sauce is bubbling and the manicotti are heated through.
- Serve piping hot.
Notes
Make Ahead: The unbaked manicotti can be refrigerated overnight. Allow up to 15 minutes longer for baking.
Attribution
Posted by bettyboop50 at Recipe Goldmine May 28, 2001.