There are so many things you can use to stuff manicotti. We had a box of manicotti and all the ingredients on hand to make this beef stuffed manicotti and it was extremely tasty. You can either make this recipe as is, or perhaps you would like to use it as a starting point and alter it to suit your taste. For example — add some cottage cheese to the meat filling or use mozarella cheese instead of the cheddar.
The fun part of cooking is changing a recipe and making it uniquely your own!

Ingredients:
Makes 8 Manicotti in 8″ x 8″ casserole dish
4 servings

Meat filling:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 3/4 C chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 T dry oregano
• 1 T parsley flakes
• 3 T tomato paste
• 1/2 C water

Manicotti and sauce:

• 8 boiled manicotti
• 12 oz. tomato sauce
• 1/2 C water
• 1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Do this:

Saute chopped the onion and garlic in 1 T margarine until onions are translucent then add the ground beef and fry until brown. Now add the seasonings, tomato paste and water stirring to combine, simmer and allow the water to evaporate.  Set aside to cool and now is the time to boil the manicotti in water with a tablespoon of oil for 7 minutes.

Drain the manicotti and add about a cup of cold water in the pot to keep the manicotti moist and to cool them down so they can be handled. Fill each manicotti with the meat and place in an 8″ x 8″ greased casserole dish placing 6 down the center and 1 on each side. Sprinkle with 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese. Dilute the tomato sauce with 1/2 C water and pour on the manicotti then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 C shredded cheese on top.
Bake in a pre-heated 375º oven for 40 minutes. Serve with a tossed green salad and hot rolls.

Saute onion and garlic then brown the ground beef. Add tomato paste, spices and water. Stir to blend and simmer until water has evaporated

Stuff the cooked manicotti with the meat and place in greased casserole dish

Sprinkle half of the cheese on the manicotti

Pour the diluted tomato sauce over the cheddar cheese

Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top and bake in 375º oven for 40 minutes.

Nicely browned in the oven and ready to serve

 
My sister-in-law Camilla makes this pasta sauce each time we are visiting her in Sweden and usually on a day when we’ve been busy shopping and need a quick meal for the hungry family. This only takes 30 minute to make and tonight I decided to change it a bit by adding some chicken and omitting the peas. I am giving you both her recipe and the version I made tonight for our supper. This sauce is just wonderful! Try it – you will love it!

*Camilla’s Recipe:
5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 leek, quartered and sliced
• 1 C creme fraiche
• 1 C milk
• 1/2 C frozen peas
• pasta
• salt/pepper to taste

Greasy Pot Recipe:
 5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 boneless chicken breast
• 1 leek, quartered and sliced
• 1 C creme fraiche (or whipping cream)
• 1 C milk
• pasta
• salt/pepper to taste

Do this:

Cut bacon and chicken into small pieces. Brown the bacon until crispy and place in a bowl. Sauté leek in the bacon grease until translucent and place in bowl with the browned bacon. Pour bacon grease into heated dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces. When chicken has browned, add the bacon, leeks, creme fraiche, and milk. Salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes to incorporate flavors and thicken slighty with Wondra Flour. The sauce will get thicker after it is poured onto the pasta.
Start boiling the pasta when all sauce ingredients are simmering.

*Follow the same procedure with Camilla’s recipe omitting the chicken and add the frozen peas to the sauce.

Cut bacon into small pieces and brown in frying pan. Remove from grease and place in bowl

Slice and quarter leek 

Sauté chopped leeks in bacon grease until translucent. Place in bowl with browned bacon 

Leeks and bacon in bowl 

Cut boneless chicken breasts into small pieces and brown in bacon grease

Add the leeks and bacon to the browned chicken

Simmer for 10 minutes after adding the creme fraiche and milk. Thicken slightly with Wondra flour and serve on pasta

Printable Recipe

I wanted to share my lasagna recipe with you so this is what we had today for Sunday dinner. Please allow 3-4 hours preparation time as the meat sauce needs to simmer 2-3 hours. We all have our favorite meals that we make often and when I can’t get my creative juices flowing I fall back on lasagna!
I broke tradition today and did not have a tossed green salad with the lasagna – instead I made variation #2 of the Fruit Salad with Creamy Citrus Salad Dressing and it got rave reviews from the family!

This recipe has been in my family for 40+ years and is the only lasagna recipe I use. You know the saying   “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! ”

Ingredients:
Serves 10

• 1 lb. lasagna noodles
• 1 C small curd cottage cheese
• 2 C mozzarella grated cheese
• 1/2 C romano grated cheese
• meat sauce

Meat sauce:

• 3 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 3 cans tomato paste (small cans)
• 2 C water
• 2 tsp. dried or fresh chopped parsley
• 2 tsp oregano if desired
• salt/pepper

Do this:
In large pot saute onion and garlic in 2 T margarine until onions are clear then add the ground beef and brown. After meat is browned add the tomato paste, water and parsley, stir to blend all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours allowing the meat sauce to evaporate some of the water.
Boil the lasagna with a one tablespoon of oil for 15 minutes and drain. Use a 11×17 greased baking dish and start with a layer of noodles, then half of the cottage cheese, half of the mozarella, half of the meat sauce and half of the romano cheese. Repeat layers. Bake in 375º oven for 1 hour or until bubbly and brown on top. Serve with a salad and garlic toast.

Cover and simmer meat sauce for 2-3 hours

Start with a layer of lasagna noodles and half of the cottage cheese

Sprinkle half of the mozzarella over the cottage cheese

Use a ladle to spread half of the meat sauce evenly over the mozzarella layer

Finally, sprinkle half of the romano cheese on the meat sauce layer and repeat layers one more time

Bake in 375º F oven for 1 hour

Printable Recipe