Spinach Manicotti

It’s a two post kinda day!

I HATE chopping onions!  Without fail, my eyes tear up in an insanely bad way.  Being the crazy person that I am, I never stop chopping when this happens, but rather just continue to chop while my eyes are blurry with tears and/or closed.  Most of the time, I end up cutting myself and bleeding all over the onions, the countertops, and my clothes.  If I have makeup on I’m left with some lovely raccoon eyes for the rest of the night.

For years I was obsessed with buying a pair of onion goggles, which you can buy for around $20 on the cheap end.  Why it never occurred to me to just use regular swimming goggles is beyond me!  When Brad started swimming again for exercise this past summer, I started using his goggles for my onion choppin’.  The little goggles are chillin in my cabinet drawer, right next to my measuring cups.  I can’t wait until they put out the swim stuff this year, so that I can get another pair with a nose piece.  Dollar Tree here I come!  

4 eyes!

 Now it is happy food time!  We had this for dinner on Tuesday, but I never got around to posting it.  I’m taking the GRE again on April 7^th, so I have been spending loads of time studying.  I wish they would just accept my scores from 2003, but they won’t take anything older than 5 years.  Ya’ll will be calling me Dr. Boone in no time

Spinach Cheese Manicotti

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ½ cup red wine or vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) fat-free cream cheese
• 1 container (15 oz.) low fat or fat free ricotta cheese
• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) manicotti shells (whole wheat if available)
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1.    In a large saucepan, sauté onion and garlic oil in cooking spray until tender.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, wine, Italian seasoning, sugar, and oregano.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

2.    Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add ricotta and beat until combined.  Stir in spinach, parmesan cheese, egg, and salt.

3.    Stuff cream cheese mixture into uncooked manicotti shells. 

4.    Spread 1 cup sauce into a 9 X 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Arrange manicotti over sauce.  Pour remaining sauce over top.

5.    Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Note:  You can cook the shells first if you would like so that you won’t have to bake it as long, but if you use precooked shells, be sure to use a little less sauce.  Just freeze the extra and use it on spaghetti.  Also, the shells are harder to stuff if they are cooked, but I have heard that a piping bag works well.