Bless Her Heart

One good thing about the pandemic was that many of us became better cooks.

No longer able to eat out at our favorite restaurants, we had to actually think about and start making our meals for ourselves.

Turns out that it wasn’t that hard after all.

One of the meals that my family and I especially enjoyed then, and ever since, is Manicotti.

After all, what can be more comforting than manicotti pasta filled with a creamy, cheesy blend of ricotta and Italian cheese…layered with both a delicious marinara sauce and a creamy alfredo sauce.

But don’t worry.

This recipe is another relatively easy recipe…compared to many in this list of comforting foods. It only takes an hour to pull together. And only requires simple ingredients. 

And while you’re thinking about it, add Italian salad and garlic knots to your grocery list along with the following ingredients. I just ordered garlic knots from Aldi. Try them. They’re magically delicious.

Manicotti Shells: Manicotti shells are perfect vessel for holding generous amounts of filling and sauce. Be sure to cook a few extra. Some of them are bound to break apart while you’re cooking or assembling them.

Cheeses: This recipe calls for different types of cheese: mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone and ricotta. I have discovered that if you’re after the best taste in dishes such as this one, it’s best to use full-fat dairy ingredients.

It’s also better to use blocks of cheese and grate them yourself, instead of pre-shredded cheese. Freshly grated cheeses melts much better and doesn’t contain any additives.

Never use the green can or jar of parmesan that you grab outa the fridge whenever you’re serving spaghetti. You’ll wish you hadn’t.

• 16 manicotti shells
• 24oz marinara sauce
• 2Tbsp cream cheese 
• 1C mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
• 1½C Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
• ¼C provolone cheese, freshly shredded
• 15 oz ricotta cheese. (not low-fat)
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2tsp Italian seasoning
• ½C butter
• ¾C heavy cream
• ½tsp pepper
• 1 egg
• ¼C panko breadcrumbs

Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray an 9×13.

Cook the pasta shells: Cook pasta three minutes less than the time given on the package directions for preparing al dente pasta. Drain and rinse. Set aside to let cool before stuffing them. Avoid overcooking the pasta shells. Overcooking will make it harder to stuff the manicotti without the pasta simply falling apart. Be sure to make more manicotti than you think that you will need. Some of them will tear while you are trying to stuff them.

Heat the Marinara Sauce: While the pasta is cooking, heat the marinara sauce on the stovetop in a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat.

Make the cheese filling: Combine egg, all of the cheeses that you are using, salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning.

Assemble the pasta: Spread 1C marinara onto bottom of the dish. Gently hold one cooked shell in the palm of your hand. Stuff each manicotti with 2Tbsp filling. Place each shell on top of the marinara. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake: Bake 40 minutes, until the shells are hot and bubbly. Broil for a couple more minutes for golden cheese.

Make the alfredo sauce: Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the heavy cream. Whisk to combine. Bring to a low simmer, not a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add salt and pepper as needed. (You may also opt to use a quality store-bought Alfredo sauce…(bless your heart)…

Make the toasted breadcrumbs: Melt 1Tbsp butter in microwave. Stir together with the panko. Spread breadcrumbs on a small baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, until toasted.

Finish making the dish: Drizzle the alfredo sauce gently over the top and all around the shells. Drizzle a little more marinara on top. Sprinkle bread crumbs and a little Parmesan cheese on top. Broil on high for three minutes, until cheese browns slightly.