Easy Cheesy Manicotti

Pasta tubes filled with cheesy goodness- what could possibly be better than that? Nothing. And this recipe is insanely easy and guaranteed to please even the pickiest kids. You can even fancy it up by adding chopped spinach, sauteed mushrooms, or whatever floats your boat to the cheesy goodness!

Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients
8-10 manicotti (you can also use jumbo shells)
1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
2 c. italian cheese blend
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
dash of pepper
1 egg
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I like the Barilla tomato basil kind)

Preheat oven to 350*. In a med. stockpot, cook manicotti or shells 5-7 minutes. You want them to be al dente, so don't over cook!!! Drain pasta and set aside. Pour 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and spread it around. Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 c. italian cheese, parsley, nutmeg, pepper and egg together in a medium bowl. Spoon cheese mixture into gallon size ziploc bag and snip one corner off the bottom of the bag. (you can skip this step if you're using shells) Using the ziploc like a pastry bag, squeeze the cheese mixture into the manicotti and place it in the baking dish. Once you've filled them all, pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over it, and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c. italian cheese over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes.