Pesto Manicotti (no Tomatoes)

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 8 ounces manicotti
• 10 ounces chopped baby spinach
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (read intro^)
• 1 cup greek yogurt (or plain yogurt-drained)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon greek oregano
• 14 ounces pesto sauce (homemade is best)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 heat the oven to 400 degrees. coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a small amount of olive oil.
• 2 bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. add the manicotti and cook al dente. drain and arrange them on a tea towel so they don’t touch. set aside until cool enough to handle.
• 3 meanwhile, remove the excess water from the spinach by placing the leaves in a salad spinner. continue spinning until no more water runs out.
• 4 coarsely chop the spinach.
• 5 in a large bowl, combine the spinach, eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, greek yogurt, garlic and oregano. transfer the cheese mixture to a zip-lock-type plastic bag, squeeze out the air and seal. set aside.
• 6 spread half of the pesto in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• 7 snip off one corner of the bag of cheese mixture. holding a manicotti tube in one hand and the bag in the other, insert the tip of the bag into the pasta tube and squeeze gently to fill it. tip: to make filling easier, fill from both ends.
• 8 arrange each filled tube in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
• 9 when all the tubes are filled, spoon the remaining pesto over them. cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
• 10 uncover the pan and sprinkle the manicotti with parmesan. bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, or until the parmesan is melted and lightly browned.