Mexican Manicotti

MizzNezz's Note:

Make this in the morning, bake it that evening. A hearty entree. Our vegetarians can leave out the meat, with great results.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 28 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 8 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 teaspoons oregano
• 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti
• 2 ½ cups water
• 16 ounces picante sauce
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• ¼ cup sliced green onion
• ¼ cup sliced ripe olives

Directions:

1. In bowl, mix uncooked beef, beans, chili powder, and oregano.
2. Spoon into uncooked manicotti shells.
3. Place in greased 13x9 baking pan.
4. Mix water and sauce, pour over manicotti.
5. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours.
6. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
7. Cover and bake at 350* for 1 hour.
8. Uncover; spoon on sour cream.
9. Sprinkle with cheese, onions, and olives.
10. Bake for 8 minutes more.

Reviews

[yooper]

What a great do ahead dish! I was a little concerned about using the raw ground beef, but it turned out fine! I used 2 cups of shredded Taco cheese for the topping because I love cheese! This dish puts "Taco Bell" in the dog house!!

[Lizzie-Babette]

Good heavens, the dish definitely has a Mexican/Southwest flair, so the name fits it. Made it last night, and it is fabulous, easy, and worthy of company. I did tweak it a bit, however as follows: added 1 heaping teaspoon of McCormick's Chipotle pepper powder as well as the heaping 3 teaspoons of regular chili powder, used refried beans with green chiles, added a couple of tablespoons of hot sauce to the picante sauce/water mix, and I topped it off with lowfat sour cream and pepper jack cheese. It was to our taste for spicy (we like food hot). I intend to try it with ground pork, chipotle salsa in place of picante sauce, and even more chipotle pepper powder. There are many ways to tweak this recipe - it's excellent.

[florida scott]

I've made a similar recipe for years and everyone always loves it. The only differences are that I brown the ground beef before adding the refried beans and seasonings, and I do not refrigerate the stuffed shells before baking. Great recipe.