Cheese Manicotti

This originally came from 30 Meals in a Day, but we've tweaked it just a little to get as many different cheeses in as possible. It might be interesting at some point to replace the cream or cottage cheese with marscapone, but we haven't been that brave yet. The difference between good manicotti and GREAT manicotti is the blend of cheeses, and the meat in the sauce. Use the sausage/hamburger blend detailed in the Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever recipe here. I promise it will elevate your manicotti from merely good to bonessimo!

Ingredients

8 oz. pkg manicotti tubes

2 c. ricotta cheese (find this in small tubs near the cream and parmesan cheeses, maybe near the yogurt)

1/2 c. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1 c. mozzerella cheese

1 tbsp. fresh parsley 

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 c. Best Spaghetti Sauce Ever (if you use a jarred/canned sauce instead, try to get something rather plain - no garlic or cilantro flavored as it messes up the flavor of the cheeses. Try to use a 50/50 blend of italian sausage and hamburger for your sauce meat).

Gallon Ziplock bag for filled tubes

Directions

Combine all cheese and spices until smooth

Cut a small corner from a Ziploc bag and spoon the cheese mix in - you're going to use this much like an icing tube to fill the manicotti tubes

Fill the tubes full with cheese mixture - it's easier to squirt some in each side, just make sure it meets in the middle

Coat bottom of casserole pan with sauce, place filled tubes closely together in pan

Cover tubes with sauce

Bake uncovered @ 350 for 45 minutes

Cover with grated white cheese of your choice