Spinach and Artichoke Manicotti

It's time for a confession. I hate lasagna.

I absolutely adore everything in lasagna but something about the way it bakes up together makes it unappetizing. I don't claim to understand this quirk of mine. Similarly, I hate Shepherd's Pie too. I even hate the way Shepherd's Pie smells. At least lasagna smells tantalizing.

Manicotti, though, now that's a different story. I can't get enough of it. First time I had it wasn't at home or at my Nonna's. It was at my elementary school cafeteria. Whaaaat? Imagine a little Renee, who hasn't quite developed too much food snobbishness yet, eating hot lunch at her tiny parochial school. They made manicotti once. ONCE. That was all it took for me to fall head over heels, desperately, devotedly in love with manicotti. They never made it again.

I pestered the lunch ladies to no avail. Now I can make it for myself and others. Those damn lunch ladies will never determine when I'll have manicotti!

Now, I made a classic red sauce style manicotti for Christmas because the thought of lasagna was too much to bear. I gave it some thought and decided that a Spinach and Artichoke stuffed manicotti would be excellent with a white sauce. Not alfredo that would have been utterly detrimental to all these New Years Resolutions to lose weight. I borrowed and adapted from Giada De Laurentiis again. She really does have some excellent recipes that I can easily adjust to be more suitable for a shrinking waistline. The original recipe, Swiss Chard and Sweet Pea Manicotti, is delicious and available on the Food Network website. Click the name to go directly to the recipe.

This is NOT Spinach and Artichoke dip stuffed inside a manicotti tube. While that is an interesting idea, I am not sure how it would turn out so maybe I'll experiment with that some other day. Nevertheless, this recipe is delicious and that's not just my opinion on my own recipe. My family enjoyed it a great deal. My sister ate it despite the artichokes so I consider that an amazing accomplishment.

Spinach and Artichoke Manicotti

The Taming of the Roux Original Recipe

12-14 manicotti shells

15oz part skim ricotta

14oz can of artichoke heats in brine or water, drained and chopped

9oz package of frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and thoroughly drained

2 cups shredded mozzarella 

1/4 cup grated romano

2 eggs

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 and get a large casserole pan out, at least 13X9. Lightly coat with the cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix thoroughly. Put the filling in a pastry bag with a large plain tip or use a large 2 quart plastic bag and snip off a corner to make an inch sized opening. Set the filling aside.

Cook the manicotti shells according to package directions. When they are done, carefully strain and drizzle with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking. Be delicate as the shells are prone to splitting if manhandled. 

Using the pastry bag/plastic bag fill the manicotti tubes to the best of your ability. This is a lot easier if you have a kitchen helper. Nestle the filled manicotti in the casserole pan. Set aside.

If you want to make this with red sauce, feel free! You can use your favorite recipe or favorite jarred sauce. You just want to have enough sauce to evenly coat the filled manicotti to keep them from drying out in the oven.

Lower-Fat Cheesy Fonduta Sauce

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

3/4 c. 2% milk

1/2 c. Half and Half

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp chopped thyme

1/2 tsp chopped rosemary

5oz fontina, shredded

2 cups Six Cheese Italian Blend, shredded

In a medium sauce pan with a heavy bottom, heat the milk and half & half over medium. Once it comes to a simmer, small bubbles around the edges, reduce heat to low and add the cheeses stirring constantly until completely melted.

When making the fonduta, you want to keep stirring and cooking on low until you can pull your spoon away without cheese stretching from the pan to the spoon.

Pour and spread the fonduta over the manicotti. Cover with aluminum foil, bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and add extra cheese if you so desire and return to oven for another 10 minutes.

Allow to cool for at least five minutes before serving. Top with parsley!

I'm proud of this one but I will definitely continue to tweak it until its even better.

P.S. It feels so good to write about something that isn't a cookie.