Description
Easy and delicious pasta roll-ups filled with spinach and ricotta, perfect for getting kids to eat their veggies.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 box (about 12–14) manicotti shells
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Cook the manicotti shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, thawed and squeezed dry spinach, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Spoon or pipe the ricotta and spinach mixture into each cooked manicotti shell.
- Pour about half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Arrange the filled manicotti shells in a single layer over the sauce in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top of the roll-ups.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the sauce.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the sauce is heated through.
- Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the roll-ups to set slightly.
Notes
- Make sure to squeeze as much water as possible out of the thawed spinach so the filling isn’t watery.
- You can use a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off to fill the manicotti shells, which can be easier and less messy than using a spoon.
- If your kids are really picky, you can finely chop the spinach or even blend it into the ricotta mixture so it’s less visible.
- These roll-ups can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. Add an extra 10-15 minutes to the baking time if baking from cold.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2-3 roll-ups
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 70mg