Manicotti Alla Romana Recipe
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Manicotti Alla Romana

By: markblau  
"This rich meat, spinach and cheese filled manicotti dish is covered with white and red sauces. I offer this on the catering menu at my catering company and it is the most popular for casual dinner parties. It's a bit of work but well worth the effort."

Rating: This weblink has been rated 460 times with an average star rating of 4.6 Read Reviews (362)

Rate/Review | 6,879 people have saved this

Prep Time:
1 Hr
Cook Time:
50 Min
Ready In:
1 Hr 50 Min

Servings  (Help)

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Original Recipe Yield 6 to 8 servings
 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • salt to taste
  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 (12 ounce) package manicotti shells
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Saute garlic for 1 minute and stir in ground beef. Cook until well browned and crumbled. Season with salt and set aside to cool.
  2. Cook spinach according to package directions. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti shells and parboil for half of the time recommended on the package. Drain and cover with cool water to stop the cooking process and prevent the shells from cracking.
  3. To the ground beef mixture add the cooked spinach and ricotta cheese. When the mixture is cool, add the beaten eggs. Spread 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Gently drain the manicotti shells and carefully stuff each one with the meat and cheese mixture; place shells in prepared dish. Lightly cover the dish with plastic wrap or a clean, damp towel to prevent shells from cracking.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  5. Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and chicken bouillon. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble. Stir in half and half and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Pour or ladle the sauce evenly over the stuffed shells.
  6. Stir the basil into the remaining spaghetti sauce. Carefully pour or ladle spaghetti sauce over the white sauce, trying to layer the sauces without mixing.
  7. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes more.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 709 | Total Fat: 35.8g | Cholesterol: 163mg

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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2007 by leighfox Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)
I have made this 2 times now & it will definately become a regular meal at our house. Both... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jun. 22, 2003 by STARDUST_331 Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)
Oh man, is this AMAZING. Followed a recommendation, and halved the garlic and used 1/2 pound... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2004 by BEAMINGMOMMY 
EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT dish!! For those of you that are unsure if you should try this or not--... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Dec. 5, 2005 by Jen G. 
Excellent recipe! Thank you :) A little tip for easy Manicotti Noodle prep... Stuffing the... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jun. 11, 2008 by ANGEL.9 
Amazing. It was time consuming but worth it - every once in a while. I followed other's advice... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2004 by Jill 
This recipe was very good except for the fact of the white sauce making the dish way toooooooo... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Apr. 28, 2006 by SUSANM74 
I loved this recipe. I omitted the chicken boullion cubes. Instead of cooking the pasta before... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Apr. 2, 2003 by deuxbebes Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)
As with the other recommendations, I substituted the hamburger with Italian sausage. I also... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on May 12, 2005 by TchrJrHi 
Absolutely delicious. I did add some shredded mozzarella cheese to the white sauce to give it... MORE
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Jun. 15, 2003 by rupps 
I made this for a casual dinner party and served it with herbed foccacia and a green salad. I... MORE

 
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