Cheese and Beef Filled Manicotti

 

I love love love pasta, and I love cheese even more! That's why I can never get enough of ravioli, stuffed shells and manicotti, the perfect combination of the two. My husband does not, however, share my same love for cheese, so this time I decided to stuff my manicotti with half cheese and half ground beef. Not my preference, but surprisingly good. Here is the simple recipe that came right off the back of the Ronzoni pasta box.

Ingredients:

14 pieces (8 oz.) manicotti pasta
4 cups (2 lb.) ricotta cheese (I substituted 1lb of cooked ground beef for 1lb ricotta)
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided(I put all of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese in the manicotti, instead of saving half to top)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)(I did not use nutmeg)
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Cool. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. In large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, pepper, salt and nutmeg; spoon into cooled pasta tubes. Arrange filled pasta in single layer in prepared dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

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