Melissa Jo’s Baked Manicotti

Step 1

heavily salt a large pot of boiling water and add 1 lb. of manicotti; cook until aldente (My box said 9 minutes)

Step 2

In a mixing bowl add Ricotta, 1/2 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese, handful of fresh chopped parsley, 1 handful of fresh chopped basil, 1 egg, about 6 oz. of cubed mozzarella chopped into tiny 1/2 inch cubes, 2 ladle fulls of homemade sauce (about 1 cup), plenty of cracked black pepper , and about 1 tsp. of kosher salt.

Step 3

Mix the ingredients in the bowl. The result should be a pink color after mixing. If it's too white...add a little more sauce.

Step 4

Then, add the ricotta mixture into a ziplock or piping bag.

Step 5

Drain the pasta and once it's cool to touch, fill the manicotti with the ricotta mixture.

Step 6

In a baking dish (this will likely make 2-3 trays): layer in this order:

Step 7

enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish with a thin layer

Step 8

the filled manicotti

Step 9

layer of sauce just to cover manicotti not smother

Step 10

fresh shredded Locatelli Pecorino Romano

Step 11

Freshly shredded mozzarella

Step 12

fresh parsley

Step 13

fresh chopped basil

Step 14

cracked black pepper

Step 15

Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.; then uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until piping hot!

Step 16

Cool the manicotti a 1/2 hour before serving! It will set up and become firmer!