| Total: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried porcini
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup minced red onion
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained spinach, chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated mozzarella
- 1 cup grated locatelli cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten lightly
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- 8 manicotti shells
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk, heated
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Snipped fresh chives or minced parsley for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heatproof bowl soak the porcini in the water for 15 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid, pat dry and chop fine. Strain reserved soaking liquid through a double thickness of dampened cheesecloth into a bowl.
- In a skillet set over moderate heat cook the onion in the butter, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach, garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until heated through. Transfer mixture to a bowl, add remaining ingredients (using only 1/2 cup of locatelli) and gently stir to combine well.
- Cook the manicotti in boiling salted water until just al dente. With a slotted spoon transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and pat dry. Gently stuff shells with filling and arrange in a buttered baking dish.
- Make the sauce: In a saucepan set over moderately low heat melt the butter, add the flour and cook the mixture, whisking, for 2 minutes. Add the milk and reserved mushroom liquid and bring to a simmer, whisking. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the sauce over the manicotti, sprinkle with the remaining locatelli and bake, covered with foil for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle with snipped fresh chives.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 756 |
| Total Fat | 47 g |
| Saturated Fat | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 193 mg |
| Sodium | 1014 mg |
Reviews
I made this recipe but instead of mushrooms, I used mild Italian chicken sausage, spinach, garlic and shallot. It was fantastic.
I had made my own version of this previously (just kind of threw it together myself w/o and actual recipe) and happened across this recipe when I was surfing thru Food Network. Definitely a winner–had a couple of ingredients I would not have thought of. This one helped me revise and improve my own concoction. Definitely a winner. It’s a regular in our house now.
its a great recipe but i don’t see how stuffed shells could be anything else. Its not quite special enough for five stars but defenately a great meal
I made this recipe for my wife on Valentines Day and it was a huge success. The nutmeg gave it a unique twist on something simple like manicotti. It did however take longer than the recipe says it will and it is difficult to time everything if you are a novice like me. I recommend using something to inject the cheese into the pasta instead of doing it by hand. It gets messy. Overall this was a fantastic dish, I can?t wait for the leftovers!