Pesto Veggie Manicotti

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• What's in it?
• 15oz ricotta cheese
• 1 box of manicotti noodles (1/2 box of large shells works too!)
• 1 bag fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1/4 cup of grated carrots and/or zucchini
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup shredded parmesan/romano cheese
• 2-4 tbsp of pesto (adjust intensity to suit your tastes!)
• mozzarella cheese for topping (go lean or go cheesy!)
• to taste: black pepper, salt, parsley, oregano, thyme & garlic powder.
• 16 oz fire roasted marinara sauce, or your favorite red sauce

Brontosaurus Chefs to veganize, skip the dairy and stuff shells with grilled veggies

T-Rex Chefs  feel free to add ground turkey to the dish - it's a delicious addition and frequently requested by my husband.  Simply brown the meat with your favorite Italian seasonings [parsley, oregano, basil, etc...] and a little garlic/onion powder to taste.  Mix into your cheesy veggie filling and you're good to go!

Update Hookay sooo... tried this with some sauteed mushrooms and it was INSANELY GOOD!  Get on that. stat.  and save me a piece while you're at it! =)

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  Fire Roasted Pasta Sauce:
  • 28 oz can diced/crushed tomatoes
    14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
    approx 4 oz of tomato paste (controls the thickness)
    1/2  tsp garlic powder
    1/4 tsp salt
    1 tsp dried oregano
    1 tsp dried basil
    1-2 tsp dried parsley
    3 bay leaves
    1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
    Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  
  
  In a blender or food processor, add tomatoes and blend for just a few seconds, until tomatoes look more crushed than diced.  Pour tomatoes into your crockpot, season, and walk away!  Set crockpot to low if you'll be leaving the house and high if you'll be around the house.  No crock pot? Simply add to a sauce pot and cook at low to medium-low on the stove-top.  Super easy! =)

Get Cooking!

Preheat your oven to 350.  Gently boil shells for approx 11min or until tender/al dente. Drain & arrange cooked noodles in a glass baking dish with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom.  Fun fact: if you roll the noodles in the red sauce it will help prevent them from sticking/wilting!  Dice and sauté, onions and garlic together with shredded carrots and 1/2 tsp of olive oil. In a large bowl, fold ricotta, parm/romano cheeses, pesto, and torn spinach together with all your herbs and spices.  Next, add your veggies to the mix.  You are free to use your fingers, but putting the stuffing in a bag with a hole cut in the corner and squeezing is muuuch easier =) Stuff the noodles gently and  pour a generous pile of sauce on top.  Top with sliced or grated mozzarella/parm cheese and bake for approx 20-30 minutes at 350F

So... How was it?

Face-stuffing good! =) I typically use jarred sauces for my manicotti/shells/lasagna but using my fire roasted tomato sauce and a lil punch of pesto totally took it to the next level!  I'm beyond ready for dinnertime now b/c its time for leftovers! Yay!