A well-respected member of the BB recently asked me if I had any good recipes for manicotti.

While I've done my fair share of cooking, I'm not the most experienced with manicotti. (And so far, I haven't been able to uncover my late mother's recipe - she made a great one.)

Now that we have our own food forum, I thought it best to put the question to everyone: Do you have a favorite manicotti recipe you'd be willing to share?

And nothing too exotic like rattlesnake meat with yak cheese, if you please! Just good ol' crowd pleasing food.

I will continue to look as well, but your input and ideas are most welcome.

Signor V.

Interestingly, I had no idea that manicotti was considered the same as canneloni (at least according to this!)

...but I still disagree, but just can't explain the difference...

Whatever the fuck you do DON'T USE JARRED GARLIC!!!

(literally! lol!)

To echo Geoff, (I read the other post)


Btw, when you say jarred garlic, you mean garlic salt/powder???


TIS

Btw, I went to this "so called" Italian restaurant (pizza to-go type place) and asked for a calzone. They didn't even put ricotta cheese in it. Who ever heard of calzone, manicotti or Lasanga without ricotta cheese????? Don't you think that is a mandatory ingredient????
I know, not everyone likes ricotta, but I do.

[quote=The Italian Stallionette
Btw, when you say jarred garlic, you mean garlic salt/powder???


TIS
everyone likes ricotta, but I do.

[/quote]
I don't know if this is what SC uses, but jarred garlic is not the salt/powder you find in the spice aisle. In the same section you find fresh garlic it's just in a jar, all chopped up, that you still refrigerate.

Ok, thanks Beth. I think I have seen it.

Speaking of ricotta, when I make lasagna, I have to make one small one without meat for my veggie daughter and one without the ricotta for one of my sons-in-law. Well, I don't have to, but I do aim to please when I cook.

TIS

Oh, I just now see the jar you posted, and no I guess I haven't seen it. I was thinking more of a spice size jar like oregano comes in. Hmmmm

I'd love to stay, but work is calling my name. See ya later.

A lady I used to work with at Wal-Mart made an incredible homemade manicotti. Homemade shells, homemade sauce. It was absolutely to die for.

Unfortunately, I don't have the recipe.

Posting that is mean.

Absolutely mean.

Nice going X

For manicotti, I use my standard meat sauce (not too far off from SC's recipe).

The essential thing is fresh pasta. If you can, try to find a place that makes good fresh pasta and will cut into squares for you. When you cook your pasta, make it al dente, so it doesn't overcook when you bake it.

Lay each square of pasta out. Prepare a mixture of fresh ricotta, egg, chopped mozzarella and grated cheese. Fill each square of pasta no more than 2/3 full, or it will overflow in the baking process. Then bring the two ends up and overlap them. Lay each one in a pan, ends side down, but make sure that you've coated the bottom of the pan with your sauce first, otherwise the manicotti will stick. Fill the pan with your manicotti, cover them all with sauce and then tin foil. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I know that I'm rather vague with the amount of ingredients, but I've never used a recipe.

I've only made manicotti a couple of times. I use my regular tomato sauce receipe, browning off garlic/onion and adding basil, oregano, salt, pepper, some sugar.

Filling the shells is probably the most time consuming. Filling must have ricotta cheese along with parmesean, egg, salt pepper. I never can make a pasta meal without having meat, so I would also make sausage and meatballs on the side.

TIS