Homemade meat sauce served over manicotti stuffed with three cheeses. This is the best manicotti I have ever had. I always get requests for the recipe.
Ingredients
- ground beef: 1 pound
- onion: 1 piece (diced)
- roasted garlic: 1 tsp
- tomatoes with garlic and onion: 1 can (28 ounce can, diced)
- tomato paste: 1 can (12 ounce can)
- white sugar: 1 Tbsp
- ½ teaspoons salt: 1 piece
- oregano: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- thyme: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- ground black pepper: 0.5 tsp
- garlic salt: 0.25 tsp
- manicotti shells: 1 pack (8 ounce pack)
- mozzarella cheese: 1 pack (8 ounce pack, shredded)
- ounces cottage cheese: 30 piece
- Parmesan cheese: 0.25 cup (grated)
- egg: 1 piece (beaten)
- salt: 0.5 tsp
- ground black pepper: 0.5 tsp
- Parmesan cheese: 0.25 cup (grated)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef, onion, and roasted garlic in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer until pan juices evaporate, about 10 minutes more. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook manicotti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
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Mix mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Spoon a generous amount of the cheese mixture into each manicotti shell.
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Pour enough tomato-beef sauce to cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti over sauce; pour remaining sauce over pasta. Cover with aluminum foil.
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Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over manicotti and return to the oven. Bake until cheese filling is melted, 10 to 15 minutes more.
