Baked Spinach and Cheese Manicotti

This recipe for baked manicotti is an old favorite of mine, and something that my kids love to both help make and eat, too. Tubes of pasta are filled with a mixture of ricotta cheese and chopped spinach, then covered in tomato sauce, and topped with a rich béchamel sauce and parmesan cheese. It's hearty and delicious at any time of year, and the kids don't even notice that the manicotti filling includes spinach (something good for them!).

The kids like to help stuffing the manicotti tubes, so get them into the kitchen to lend a hand making dinner. If you're in a hurry, use a good quality jarred sauce and it will come together quickly. We like to make our own, and usually have a container of it in the freezer for recipes like this. (I've included my basic tomato sauce recipe below, too.)

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce package manicotti tubes
• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 6-ounce bag organic baby spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsely
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cups béchamel sauce (recipe follows)
• 2–3 cups tomato sauce (use your favorite or the recipe below)

for the béchamel sauce

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• Salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg to taste

for the tomato sauce

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

First, make the tomato sauce. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until lightly browned, about a minute. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, wine, oregano, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in basil and remove from heat. Season with salt.

Now, make the béchamel sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until incorporated, and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Slowly add milk, bit by bit, whisking it in until completely incorporated. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens, then remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Cook the manicotti tubes according to the package directions and set aside to cool. Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water for 1 minutes. Drain and let cool, then squeeze out as much water from the spinach as you can, then finely chop.

Combine ricotta, spinach, beaten egg, parsley, and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl. Whisk until combined, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a few tablespoons of the tomato sauce. With a small spoon, stuff the manicotti tubes with the filling, then place side-by side in the baking dish. Cover with the rest of the tomato sauce, then pour over the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle the top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20–30 minutes or until top is bubbly and browned. Remove from oven, let cool for 10–15 minutes, and then serve.