This is a comfort food dish! I absolutely love everything about this manicotti. I mean this dish combines some of my favorite things: cheese, pasta, marinara sauce, spinach and of course BACON! Although you can modify this dish to your individual tastes. I think that using shredded chicken would be really great. I have also made this dish for a vegetarian friend of mine. I skipped the bacon and stuffed a few manicotti shells, then I added the bacon to the rest of the filling and stuffed the remaining shells. After the dish was assembled I placed a few parsley leaves on top of the bacon-less manicotti so that they would be easily identified after cooking! This way we were all eating the same meal and both carnivores and herbivores were happy :)
Ingredients
* Vegetable oil cooking spray * salt * 1 tablespoon olive oil * 8 manicotti pasta tubes * 9 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces * 10-ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained * 15-ounces ricotta, at room temperature * 1/3 cup grated Parmesan * 1/4 teaspoon black pepper * 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg * 1 large egg, at room temperature * 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella | Sauce * 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream * 1/3 cup milk * 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 1/8 teaspoon black pepper * 2 large pinches ground nutmeg * 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella * 1 1/2 cups jarred tomato basil sauce |
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9- by 11-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the oil and pasta. Cook until just tender, but still firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Drain and reserve for later.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and brown, about 7 minutes. I like to use cooking sheers and cut up the bacon into pieces. I usually take three strips of bacon at a time and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. You could even cut the bacon directly over the skillet.
Drain on paper towels and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, add the bacon, spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the pepper, nutmeg and egg.
Stir until well combined. Set the ricotta mixture aside and reserve for later.
For the Sauce
Bring the cream, milk, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add the mozzarella in batches, constantly whisking, until the sauce is thick and smooth.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer 1 minute, whisking occasionally. Whisk in the tomato basil sauce.
Assembly
Pour half of the sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Fill the manicotti tubes with the ricotta mixture and arrange them into a single layer on top of the sauce.
Pour the remaining sauce on top of the manicotti.
Top with the remaining mozzarella.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake until heated through and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.