Spinach & Ricotta Manicotti, Chopped Salad & Garlic Bread

This entire meal was soooo good - what's not to love about comforting cheesy pasta, bread and salad right?!? I was shocked at how good the marinara sauce was and it's cooked in such a short amount of time to develop such great flavor. I will definitely be making this meal again for guests or maybe just us. It reheats well and is great for leftovers. The cream sauce is a little tricky to make but if you are used to making gravy or cream sauces you will get the hang of it. A good tip to remember when using flour and butter is to make sure the flour consistency is like wet sand - if it's drier than that then you will need to add more fat (butter). And another hint is to make sure you add the liquid (milk in this case) slowly while whisking to prevent any lumps from forming. Use those 2 tips and you will end up with a perfect creamy sauce/gravy every time. 

You can add ground beef or sausage if you'd like to have a meat added to this recipe, I didn't have any on hand but if I did I would have added spicy Italian sausage. All in all we both loved this meal and would highly recommend it! 

Spinach and Ricotta Manicotti

Serves 6

ingredients

• 8 oz manicotti noodles

• 4 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand

• 1/4 cup flour

• 2 cups whole milk, at room temp

• 15 oz ricotta, at room temp

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry

• 1 cup grated Parmesan

• 1 large egg, at room temp

• 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed by hand

directions

1. Cook the manicotti per package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water, set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425º. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, s&p and cook stirring for 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes (carefully) and bring to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly.

3. In another large skillet, melt 2 1/2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook stirring for 1 minute. SLOWLY whisk in the milk, salt & pepper. Cook whisking until the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 

4. In a large bowl stir ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg, oregano, 1/4 tsp each S&P together using a rubber spatula. Stuff the manicotti with this mixture. Spread half of tomato sauce & cream sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch or 3 quart baking dish. Top with stuffed manicotti, then remaining sauces and Parmesan.

5. Bake for 25 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned on top. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

I like to use my hands when stuffing the noodles so they don't tear as easily if you were to use a small spoon but if you do use your hands prepare to get messy! You may or may not use all the manicotti noodles but make them all just in case then you can use the leftovers for something else of just munch on one or two of em while you are waiting for dinner to be ready ;-)

Chopped Salad with Lemon-Pepper Buttermilk Dressing

Serves 6

ingredients

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

• 2 tbsp mayo 

• 1 tsp grated lemon zest

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• S&P

• Small head of romaine, chopped

• 4 radishes, chopped

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped

• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 cucumber, sliced

directions

1. In a small jar with a lid or small bowl combine the first 7 ingredients (1/2 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper). If using a jar, seal the lid and shake until mixed together. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.

2. Once ready to serve toss the dressing with the veggies in a large bowl.

Garlic Bread
Serves 6

ingredients

• 1 loaf Italian bread, unsliced
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• Kosher salt

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º. Slice the loaf into 1" thick slices but don't go all the way to the bottom so the loaf stays in tact.

2. Melt the butter over medium heat and then add the garlic, parsley & 1/2 tsp salt. Remove from heat and brush this mixture over top of the loaf and in between the slices to get the yumminess in each piece! Wrap the loaf in foil.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, open the foil and bake until lightly toasted on top for 5 minutes more. Keep on stove top to keep warm until the pasta is done cooking.

Enjoy!