Baked Manicotti with Beef, Spinach and Cheese

It seems like most recipes for manicotti involve stuffing the tender pasta with cheese, namely ricotta and mozzarella. That's fine, IF you're a big ricotta fan. We are NOT huge fans of the creamy cheese in my house. Not sure why - it's relatively harmless, right? And, it even comes part-skim, so there are healthy options too!

So.... that explains the beef filling. And, OH MY GOSH, this beef filling is amazing. It's actually a simple blend of meat, herbs, sauce, spinach, and cheese, but the way it comes together inside the pasta is incredible.

Worried about prep time? Don't be. The meat filling takes as long to build as it does for you to cook the manicotti (for me, that was 7 minutes of boiling time). The filling-of-the-pasta shells is fun, and then the oven does the rest of the work.

Want to prep ahead? You can assemble the manicotti and refrigerate it up to 24 hours before baking. Cover with plastic and foil before chilling. Remove the plastic, return the foil and bake as directed below (if the dish is cold, you may need to add 10 minutes to the baking time).

How Saucy Are You? If you look at most manicotti recipes and pictures, there's just a drizzle of sauce over the top. I get it - you can actually SEE the stuffed shells underneath, so it makes sense. But in my house, we like a lot of sauce with our pasta dishes. Yeah, and they don't always photograph well! So, below, I called for 2-2 1/2 cups of tomato or marinara sauce. It's really up to you how much you use on top. You need the 1/4 cup on the bottom of the baking dish and the 1 1/4 cups in the filling, but the rest (topping) is your call!

Baked Manicotti with Beef, Spinach and Cheese

1 package manicotti (about 12-14 shells)
1 pound lean ground beef
2 teaspoons salt-free Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-2 1/2 cups tomato sauce or marinara sauce, divided
5 ounces baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the manicotti according to the package directions (for me that was 7  minutes in salted water - the salt helps prevent the pasta from sticking together). Drain and place on foil (foil also prevents sticking).
To make the filling, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, until the herbs are fragrant.
Add 1 1/4 cups of the sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes, until the spinach wilts and the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese.
Pour  1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan, or any pan of a similar size (you can see what I used...an oval pan!).
Use a small spoon to fill the pasta with the beef mixture (you will have enough to fill 12 to 14 shells). Arrange the manicotti on top of the sauce in the pan. Pour the remaining 1/2-1 cup of sauce over the pasta and top with the mozzarella and remaining parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4