I made these the other day in lieu of manicotti because we didn't have the right noodles! I thought they turned out yummy, so I decided to share. Adapted from AllRecipe's Manicotti Alla Romana recipe by markblau.
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 small chopped onion
* 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 pound ground meat (beef or turkey)
* 1 package (about 5 links) Italian sausage (I used hot, but mild's fine, too)
* salt to taste
* 1 package lasagna
* 3 cups ricotta cheese
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 cup mozzarella
* 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
* 2 cups half-and-half
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Saute garlic for 1 minute and stir in ground meat and sausage. Cook until well browned and crumbled. Season with salt and set aside to cool.
3. Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on the package. Drain and cover with cool water to stop the cooking process and prevent the pasta from sticking or tearing.
4. To the ground beef mixture add the ricotta cheese. When the mixture is cool, add the beaten eggs and mozzarella. Spread 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drain and pat the lasagna noodles dry. Carefully roll a handful of the meat and cheese mixture into each noodle (there should be about 15); place rolls, seam side down, in prepared dish.
5. Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and chicken bouillon. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble. Stir in half and half, Romano cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly (the mixture should thicken slightly). Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Pour or ladle the sauce evenly over the stuffed shells.
6. Carefully pour or ladle spaghetti sauce over the white sauce, trying to layer the sauces without mixing.
7. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10 minutes more.
Yes, I added more cheese and took out the spinach from the original recipe. Spinach probably would have made it much tastier, but I didn't have any on hand. Alas! I'll have to prepare better next time.
And for all my gluten-free buddies, they do have GF lasagna noodles! They sell them at H-E-B, or you can order them online
here. As for the flour for the sauce, just use regular rice flour; an extra 1/2 tablespoon should do it. <3
