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 sweet husband made this special rye bread today and a good rye bread just happens to be my favorite. This is a healthy thin bread full of flavor and texture with the added wheat flakes and flax seed. 
I do not like store bought white bread… just tasteless fluff! I have previously mentioned on my Swedish Meatball Sandwich recipe that Super Walmart’s 9 grain bread found in their bakery section is very very good and I hope that you will give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 7 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 2 1/2 C  milk
• 2 T honey
• 1 T salt
• 3/8 C golden flax seeds
• 3/8 C wheat flakes
• 3 1/2 C white flour
• 2 C rye flour

Do this:

Combine milk and yeast in saucepan and heat to finger warm using a wire whisk to incorporate the yeast into the milk. Pour into large bowl and add the remaining ingredients mixing with wooden spoon. Form dough into round ball and place on floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover with cloth in warm place for 45 minutes. 

Shape dough into a 2″ high rectangle on a large jelly roll pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle top of dough with flour, cover again with cloth and let rise another 30 minutes.

Score top of bread with knife into squares to whatever size you would like about 1/2″ deep. Bake in preheated 425º oven for 15 minutes. Cool and break bread apart at score lines. Cut in half lengthwise, slather with butter and enjoy!

Add the flours, honey, salt, flax seeds and wheat flakes to the milk and yeast in large bowl

Wheat flakes

Golden flax seed

When ingredients are combined, knead dough until smooth. Form into a ball and cover with cloth for 45 minutes

Shape dough into 2″ high rectangle on lined jelly roll pan, sprinkle with flour, cover with cloth and let it rest another 30 minutes

Score top of dough into squares about 1/2″ deep and bake 15 minutes in a 425º oven

Cool on wire rack for 20-30 minutes

Break bread apart at score marks and cut in half lengthwise. Spread with butter and jam

Swedish Meat Sauce on pasta

This is similar to the meat sauce on pasta that is served in Swedish schools and I have been told that it is everyone’s favorite! We (yes, my husband cooks too) made this for the first time today and my Swedish husband was the taste tester and said it was very close to what he remembers which he hasn’t had in 27 years. He is a one happy man tonight!
We made this meat sauce a bit different than the usual way by not browning the ground meats before adding the remaining ingredients… let it all cook together. Less tomato sauce allows the flavors of the meat and other ingredients come through… very very GOOD 
Recipe adapted from Swedish food blog Kryddburken

Pasta “al dente”

Simmer meat sauce for 1 hour

Ingredients:
6 servings

• 1 onion diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 T sugar
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 C tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 C ketchup
• 1 T beef bouillion (Better than Bouillion)
• 2 C water (more if needed)
• salt/pepper

Do this:
In large pot sauté diced onions in 2 T margarine until onions are translucent. Sauté diced celery with the sugar in 1 T margarine in a separate pan for 5 minutes and add to the large pot. Now put the ground meats and the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Stir until meat is cooked and simmer with lid for 1-1 hour. Pulse with stick blender for 10-15 seconds. Thicken with 2-3 tablespoons of corn starch (not flour) so the sauce stays clear.
Serve on cooked “al dente” pasta with a salad and bread.