Mushroom Manicotti

I haven't made this dish for a really long time and was so excited when I stumbled across my old recipe. It's a bit time consuming but worth it! It's cheesy and gooey and so delicious. My son had 3 helpings & the rest of us cleaned our plates. Try it with a salad and garlic bread - irresistible!

• 8 oz of sliced mushrooms, button or cremini
• 1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 15oz container of non fat ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
• 4 tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded (divided)
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (divided)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of nutmeg
• 3 cups of marinara sauce (divided)
• 8-10 manicotti shells, prepared per instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray then pour 1 cup of marinara sauce all over the bottom - spread evenly. Place sliced mushrooms in a food processor and chop until fine crumbles. In a large bowl combine mushrooms, onions, garlic, ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, 2 tbsp of parmesan, basil, 1 tbsp parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste; mix thoroughly and place filling into a large zip lock bag. Cut the corner and pipe filling into cooked manicotti shells (I pipe into each side) and place into baking dish. Continue until you are out of filling & shells. Pour the remaining 2 cups of marinara over the manicotti. Spread the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the top. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 35 minutes. Cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Garnish with the last tablespoon of fresh parsley. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe