Grandma's Kitchen Old-World Manicotti

I came across this recipe on a Grandma's Kitchen recipe card and found it to be the BEST manicotti I have ever experienced. It is a favorite of all our friends and family and most definitely a staple meal in our home. If you've always been the type to shy away because of the terror of stuffing the shells, well I've thrown in a little secret of mine to walk you through the process.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 12 stuffed shells

Ingredients

• 12  large  manicotti
• 4  cups  shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2  cups ricotta cheese
• 6  tablespoons  chopped fresh basil or 2  tablespoons dried basil
• 1 (26 ounce) jar  prepared  spaghetti sauce, divided (I have used Prego or made my own)
• 1⁄2 cup  grated parmesan cheese or 1⁄2 cup romano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions(be sure to not over cook, they need to be a little chewey for easier stuffing). Carefully remove each shell and rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels. Don't get too upset if a couple break, its bound to happen :).
3. For the filling, in a large ziplock bag (seriously!), put in 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and fresh basil. Seal the bag tightly. Smush the bag around with your hands until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed (it's a nice stress reliever too!).
4. Snip off the bottom corner of the ziplock bag (the point is to have the hole a tad smaller than the manicotti opening, where you can just barely slip it into the shell). Use this method to squeeze the cheese mixture into each manicotti.
5. See, that wasn't so bad! ;).
6. Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
7. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.