If you follow me on snapchat (@ TaneshaAwasthi), you probably noticed I love to cook and I cook quite often. While I’m no trained chef, and very rarely cook from scratch, I do know how to whip up some delicious, fuss-free meals for my family!
Manicotti is a long time family favorite I learned as a teen from my mom. Her original recipe calls for traditional tomato sauce which is just as delicious, but my boys prefer something a bit creamier, so my version- as you’ll notice with most of my cooking, is a bit more untraditional.
After sharing the finished meal on social media a couple of weeks ago, I received a lot of requests for the recipe, so I’m excited to finally share it:
INGREDIENTS (serves 3-4)
- 12 Manicotti Shells
- 1 lb Ground Chicken, Turkey or Beef
- 8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese
- 29 oz. can of tomato sauce
- 15 oz jar of alfredo sauce
- 13 oz can of leaf spinach *only use half the can
- 15.25 oz can of whole kernel corn, no salt added *only use half the can
- Parsley Flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a large pan, cook 1 lb. ground chicken and let cool for 5 minutes. (Feel free to sub. chicken for ground turkey or ground beef). Once meat has cooled, add 8 ounces of grated monterey jack cheese and stir. Mix in spinach and corn.
- Stuff manicotti shells with meat, cheese and veggie filling by hand (mine and Narayan’s preferred method!) or by transferring it to to a large zip-top plastic bag. Twist and squeeze bag so filling is in one corner. With scissors, snip a 3/4-inch opening in corner. Pipe filling into both ends of each pasta shell and place in baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix tomato and alfredo sauce, then pour sauce evenly over stuffed shells.
- Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve.
TAGS: recipes