Best-Ever Manicotti

[Katiecooks]

This is a super meal - and for some reason I simply don't know, the kind of Manicotti noodles that don't require pre-cooking seem to work the best for this.

Ingredients:
8 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed. Lay flat on paper towels to dry - cut in half to make 2 four-inch pieces of each.

Sauce:
1 jar marinara sauce
1 tsp fresh basil - chopped well
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 C sugar
1/8 tsp garlic salt or garlic powder

Cheese mixture:
1 lb. ricotta
4 C shredded mozzarella, reserve half for topping
3/4 C parmesan cheese, grated, reserve 1/4 C for topping
1 egg - slightly beaten with fork
1/2 C Italian bread crumbs
1/8 C fresh, chopped parsley or 1 tsp. dried parsley

Directions:
Stir together sauce ingredients and set aside. Spoon 1/4 of sauce on bottom of 9"x13" baking pan. Combine cheese mixture in medium-sized bowl and mix together well. Spoon about 1 tbls. of mixture onto one end of noodle. Roll up, starting at cheese end, and place on sauce in pan, seam side down. Repeat until you are out of cheese. Pour remaining sauce evenly over the manicotti. Top with remaining 1/4 C parmesan and the remaining mozzarella.. Cover with foil. May store in refrigerator until baking time. Bake with foil on for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Bake an additional 5 minutes with foil on if it was made ahead and stored in refrigerator.

Serve with tossed salad and garlic bread for a meal your family will love!

[The Ironic Chef]

Lol, another good use for wanton wrappers.

[Katiecooks]

Lol, another good use for wanton wrappers.

Oooookay! It took me a minute to get the joke but I finally did and actually, it's not too bad an idea..............perhaps a tad messy getting them filled with the cheese mixture, but maybe not?

[The Ironic Chef]

I have actually use the wanton wrappers for making Manicotti and also Ravioli. There is no need to cook them first. Even if you do you will have a 4"X4" piece of cooked pasta that resembles the lasagna noodle but not as thick. When you roll it you have a more tender pasta. When using the Wanton, I lay it flat, brush with egg wash, set the filling across one end and roll. Same for a Cantaloni, just using a meat filling instead of cheese. Also, the Wanton could be folded envelope style, like one would fold and eggroll and every thing is sealed inside. I have actually done this with eggroll wrappers with Italian fillings and deep fried them. They are soooooo good. Almost like swiping a Calzone recipe and taking it to the Orient.

[Katiecooks]

I have actually use the wanton wrappers for making Manicotti and also Ravioli. There is no need to cook them first. Even if you do you will have a 4"X4" piece of cooked pasta that resembles the lasagna noodle but not as thick. When you roll it you have a more tender pasta. When using the Wanton, I lay it flat, brush with egg wash, set the filling across one end and roll. Same for a Cantaloni, just using a meat filling instead of cheese. Also, the Wanton could be folded envelope style, like one would fold and eggroll and every thing is sealed inside. I have actually done this with eggroll wrappers with Italian fillings and deep fried them. They are soooooo good. Almost like swiping a Calzone recipe and taking it to the Orient.

IC, thank you so much for the suggestions and the directions on how to do it with the wanton wrappers. This would be a God-send! It sounds so neat and easily handled. I'm certainly going to give it a shot. Tomorrow, if I can fit it in timewise, I'm going to post a recipe I just got in the mail today for a cookie called "Compost Cookies" and another for "Heart Attack in a Bowl" for a decadent brownie that is purely heavenly. As well, I have a cake to construct for an anniversary party and then I'll be able to deal with making manicotti with wanton wrappers. Again, many thanks for the suggestions.

[Katiecooks]

I have actually use the wanton wrappers for making Manicotti and also Ravioli. There is no need to cook them first. Even if you do you will have a 4"X4" piece of cooked pasta that resembles the lasagna noodle but not as thick. When you roll it you have a more tender pasta. When using the Wanton, I lay it flat, brush with egg wash, set the filling across one end and roll. Same for a Cantaloni, just using a meat filling instead of cheese. Also, the Wanton could be folded envelope style, like one would fold and eggroll and every thing is sealed inside. I have actually done this with eggroll wrappers with Italian fillings and deep fried them. They are soooooo good. Almost like swiping a Calzone recipe and taking it to the Orient.

IC, thank you so much for the suggestions and the directions on how to do it with the wanton wrappers. This would be a God-send! It sounds so neat and easily handled. I'm certainly going to give it a shot. Tomorrow, if I can fit it in timewise, I'm going to post a recipe I just got in the mail today for a cookie called "Compost Cookies" and another for "Heart Attack in a Bowl" for a decadent brownie that is purely heavenly. As well, I have a cake to construct for an anniversary party and then I'll be able to deal with making manicotti with wanton wrappers. Again, many thanks for the suggestions.

[The Ironic Chef]

Katie, If you do not boil the Wrappers first, (under boil if you do)

When placed in the casserole dish, add about a cup of sauce before placing a layer of Manicotti and then cover with several cups of sauce and cheese, I like to cover before baking for 3/4s of the baking time with foil to trap in the steam, then uncover to allow the cheese to come to a nice golden brown.

[Katiecooks]

I'm so completely computer-illiterate that I actually haven't a clue how I managed to post the above twice but whatever I did I'll truly try to never do it again! Sorry