Manicotti!

My manicotti recipe is something I have been making for years. I always had to make two batches when I made it for my family because I had certain siblings who were very picky so I had to make half of the batch without the spinach/onion mixture and half with it. It was the meal I made when Timothy came over to my house for the first time after we started dating. It's one of the first things I even learned how to make when I started cooking. It's super easy, and super delicious.

Ingredients: 

8 oz box of manicotti noodles
1 large yellow onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
5ish oz baby spinach (I use a little over half of a 10 oz bag of spinach. I tend to do it by sight, when I think it's enough I stop chopping but this is a good estimate I would say.)
15 oz ricotta cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese (divided into 3 and 1)
3/4 cup grated parmesan (divided into 1/2 and 1/4)
2 Tbsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg (optional! I'll explain later)
2 jars pasta sauce (This time I'm trying the new Prego Florentine Spinach and Cheese. We like to try different sauce flavors all the time. Also I LOVE sauce which is why I use so much. Feel free to use less.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add in manicotti noodles. Cook al dente (remember last time I said this means they are still a little firm. Once again the liquid from the sauce will cook them further in the oven.) When they are done, place on paper towels to cool down/dry a little.

2. Meanwhile, chop onion. Chop spinach. Add onion, spinach, and olive oil in pan. Cook until onions are soft and spinach is wilted down. (When you first put in the spinach it might seem like A LOT but it's not. When it wilts down it becomes a lot less.)

3. Mix together in a bowl - ricotta, 3 cups mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, oregano, salt, pepper, and spinach/onion mixture. This is where the egg might come in. If you feel that the cheese mixture you have created is a little too runny you can add the egg. If it's holding together well don't worry about the egg. It's completely up to you. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. It usually depends on how much liquid was created while wilting down the spinach.

4. Put a little bit of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. (Just enough to cover the bottom. Sometimes I have to use an extra smaller dish if I have a few extra manicotti that don't fit.)

5. Stuff the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells. I just use a spoon. I've seen people online use a pastry bag. It's up to you what you want to do. Place the noodles in the 9x13 baking dish.

6. Cover in remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Cover in foil. Place in oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. Take out of oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve.

Tonight I'm serving mine to not only Tim but our siblings Brittany and Jamie. :)