A Week Of Family Favorites: Triple Cheese Spinach Manicotti

My family is pretty willing to try new recipes when I make them. Of course when I look for new recipes, I look for ingredients my family likes. Everyone once in a while, I throw in a new ingredient to see how it will fly. This is what lead me to Triple Cheese Spinach Manicotti. I found it in a Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook they were giving away at a local supermarket.  

My family loves most anything with cheese in it. I knew DH and I loved spinach on sandwiches or in a salad, but we had never eaten cooked before. DD isn't much for any greens, but I knew she liked cooked broccoli. So I took a leap of faith and tried the recipe out. It was an instant hit. Of course, I tailored the recipe to our tastes and likes. I also changed some things up and found a few short cuts that work for me, but if you want to see the original, you can find it here. 

Triple Cheese Manicotti

• 12 manicotti shells, cooked according to package
• 1 lb. of ground beef
• garlic salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, onion powder, to taste
• 1 - 8 oz. package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1 - 10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 1 - 24 oz jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce (I use Barilla.)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Preparing the spinach is the trickiest part to this recipe, because it could make the filling for the manicotti to watery if not dried enough. Here is what I do: 

• I thaw the spinach in the frig over night. About 3 hours before I am going to make this dish, I put the spinach in a mesh sieve and set the sieve over a bowl. Every once in awhile I use a spoon to mash down on the spinach to squeeze out more liquid. Right before I am ready to add it to the meat, I put it in the middle of a dish towel. I pull the towel up around, twist, and squeeze any liquid left in it out. Stop when you see just an occasional drop of liquid. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

 

Fix the manicotti according to the directions on the box. Drain and cool slightly in a colander. 

 

While the pasta cooks, brown ground beef in a large frying pan. Drain and risen off excess grease. Put back in the pan. Add spices and herbs to suit your tastes. 

 

Add the 8 oz. cream cheese that has been allowed to soften, to the meat. I cube it up to help it melt quicker. Now if you want to add the 1/2 of mozzarella to the meat mixture you can. Or you can save it to melt over the top of the manicotti. I have done both.

Add the drained and squeezed spinach to the meat mixture and stir well until combined.

 

In a 9" X 13" casserole dish, pour a cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish.

 

Using a small spoon, scoop the meat mixture in to the manicotti shells. Be sure the shells have cooled slightly or they will burn your hands. Trust me on this! 

 

Lay the shells on top of the sauce in the casserole dish. Pour a 1/2 cup of water into the jar of the marinara sauce you have left and shake. Pour over the shells. Top with 1/2 cup of mozzarella (if you decided not to put it in the meat mixture.) and a 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. 

 

Bake for 45 minutes. Cover with tin foil for the first 35 minutes and remove for the last 10 minutes. 

 

Let it cool a little before serving. 

 

This is great with a salad and garlic bread on the side. Or it can be a stand alone dish, since it has meat, pasta, and spinach in it. Give it a try and let me know what you think! 

 

Living a simple life and enjoying making yummy meals for my family!