Manicotti

Mama Sarah's Kitchen has made its first delivery!! Granted, it was to Amanda at work, but good time..... anyway...

Back in the day, my mom's friend made us this tasty manicotti. Now, I'm never going to claim I'm making authentic Italian food, but I've at least decided to alter the recipe (that I've followed faithfully for many years) to make it a bit more ... real. Any suggestions would be appreciated (this is always true).


A short explanation: this dish is not quite manicotti but not really lasagna. It's meant to be manicotti, but once upon a time, hubby and I were making this for my family when we decided stuffing the mixture into hot noodles was too hot and time consuming. Instead, we split the noodles in half, laid the mixture down, then folded the noodles back over. Now, I've just gotten rid of the manicotti noodles period. Instead, I use lasagna noodles. It's a short cut that saves a good deal of time and doesn't burn my hands. Do as you will.

"Manicotti"
1 lb ground beef
12 oz cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta
1 1/2 cup mozzarella
1 package noodles (manicotti, lasagna, your choice)
15 oz blue label ragu (one day I'll make my own, but not today)
Dash of salt

- Prepare noodles.
- Brown the ground beef. Add cottage cheese, ricotta, and mozzarella. Mix well.

Lasagna Style: - In a casserole dish (13x9 will make thin layers, 8x8 will make nice thick layers), spoon in just enough ragu to cover the bottom. Place a layer of noodles, slightly overlapping, then spoon about half of the mixture over the noodles. Place another layer of noodles, then the rest of the mixture. Cover with a final layer of noodles, then spread the ragu over the top. Make sure the noodles are completely covered by sauce (especially if you're using those no-boil lasagna noodles.. I did.)
Sprinkle with parmesan.
Manicotti Style:
- Fill noodles with stuffing. You can start out trying to spoon it in, but don't be surprised if you end up using your hands. It'll be messy.
- Line the stuffed noodles in a casserole dish. Pour ragu over noodles; sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake (either style) at 350F for 30 minutes.

See the pretty layers?

I definitely liked the ricotta substitution.. Taasssttyy... I served this with the delicious brussels sprouts that I make so often..

Cake coming up soon!