This was one of those meals that was not pondered and planned. I volunteered to take supper to some new moms in the hood a few weeks ago, bought five boxes of lasagna noodles, then decided to make pizza for them instead. Hence, I need to get rid of some lasagna noodles. And I didn’t really feel like making lasagna. So, I bought a container of ricotta at the store, came home and winged it.
And it was good.
Here’s my method and very loose recipe.
Feel free to substitute as your kitchen allows.
Winged Manicotti
1 box lasagna noodles, cooked until soft
1 container ricotta cheese
1 cup steamed spinach
3 sun dried tomatoes (the last in the bottle), diced
1/2 can cooked mushrooms, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
a couple twists on the black pepper grinder
1 bottle of marinara sauce
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
Cut each of the lasagna noodles in half and take one in your hand
Mix together the ricotta, veggies, garlic, salt and pepper and then spoon about 1/2 cup onto the noodle
Roll up the noodle onto itself
Ta Da…manicotti!
Pour about 1 cup of the marinara sauce into a baking pan, then lay the manicotti close together and cover with remaining sauce
Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella (or grate a couple string cheeses if you forgot you are out of mozzarella)
Give the snot-nosed red-head some cheese to chomp with those seven (and 1/2, which explains the snot-nose!) teeth and keep him happy for the 30 minutes the manicotti is in the oven at 350.
Hurry home from picking up the husband. Smile because the house didn’t burn down while you were gone. Pull the oozy, cheesy, manicotti from the oven. Sit down and enjoy it before it flies away!!
