Baked Manicotti

Well my dear friends - I have a treat for you. The best and slightly 

addicting manicotti. For me, it was love at first bite. I think you will

agree. Serve with a great side salad and Italian bread. A great meatless meal.

                                                                    Baked Manicotti

                                               3 cups ricotta
                                               1 box manicotti shells, do not cook they will cook in the oven
                                               6 ounces freshly grated mozzarella
                                               1 cup parmesan cheese, divided
                                               2 eggs, lightly beaten
                                               4 to 5 tablespoons sugar
                                               4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
                                               1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
                                               1 teaspoon salt and pepper
                                               6 cups sauce - homemade, is best but jarred will be ok.
                                                                 

                  1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

                  2) In a medium bowl mix together ricotta, mozzarella and half of the parmesan
                  cheese, eggs, parsley, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well.

                  3) Spread 3 cups sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13 pan. Fill each shell with
                  ricotta mixture and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Top with remaining
                  sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 45 or until pasta is done.
               
                  4) Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and cook 10 minutes more.

                  Here is a link to my homemade marinara sauce. Enjoy.

                  Note - To fill shells you can place the filling in a large ziplock bag and
                  just pipe in or do as I did...I used a butter knife and just pushed the filling
                  through.