Veggie Manicotti

I combined mom's manicotti recipe with a recipe that I found on Peas and Crayons. Adding veggies made me feel a bit better about eating all that cheese :) and it was good to boot.

Ingredients:

• 
  
• 1 box of manicotti noodles
• Torn up baby spinach
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1/4-1/2 cup (or more) of grated carrots and/or zucchini 
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 cup (approx) shredded parmesan/romano cheese
• 1-2 cups (approx) shredded mozzarella cheese - and some more to sprinkle on top
• to taste: black pepper, salt, parsley, oregano, thyme & garlic powder.
• 16 oz marinara sauce

Preheat your oven to 350.  Gently boil shells until tender/al dente (Very important you don't boil them too long or you'll end up doing a manicotti noodle casserole like me). Drain & arrange cooked noodles in a glass baking dish with a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom.  Dice and sauté, onions and garlic together with shredded carrots/zucchini in olive oil. In a large bowl, fold ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, and torn spinach together with all your herbs and spices.  A note about cheese: I NEVER measure. I just go with what looks/tastes right. Next, add your veggies to the mix.  Put the stuffing in a bag with a hole cut in the corner and stuff the noodles gently. Pour more sauce on top.  Top with shredded mozzarella/parm cheese and bake for approx 20-30 minutes at 350F.