Gourmet Girl's Luscious Six Cheese Manicotti Crepes

Submitted by gourmet_girl

"This recipe was inspired by Kittencal's Cheese-Stuffed Manicotti Crepes, I altered it enough when I made it that I thought it would be easier to post it as a new recipe rather than try to figure out all the adjustments each time I make it. It has a very flavorful and creamy cheesy filling, a real treat! Can substitute low fat cheeses if you want to make it a little more waistline friendly. Yes, it takes a little time to make the crepes from scratch, but they are sooo good and you don't have to fuss with trying to boil and stuff those premade tubes, just fill and roll like an enchilada! I felt that making my own sauce was too much work at the time I tried this, so I put my trust in Paul Newman and was not disappointed, I would recommend trying the sauce listed because it was great, but feel free to use any you prefer or to make your own if you're ambitious! I stuffed them pretty big, but you might want to double the crepe portion of the recipe if you want to make them more normal sized. Salt, pepper, spices, and herbs you can adjust to your tastes, I estimated on the amounts for those. I have the recipe reading with crepe instructions first, but I actually make the filling first so I can stuff/roll the crepes as I cook them."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 22
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• CREPES

• 1 cup water (may need to use a bit more)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (approx., for frying)

• FILLING

• 1 lb ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces neufchatel cheese (softened)
• 1 cup parmesan asiago and romano cheese blend (grated)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (grated)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley (finely chopped)
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil (finely chopped)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon oregano (finely chopped or ground)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chives (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• ADDITIONAL

• 24 ounces newman's own tomato and basil pasta sauce
• olive oil flavored cooking spray
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (grated)

directions

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 13 X 9 X 2 dish with cooking spray.
3. To make the crepes: In a bowl whisk together 1 cup water, 1 cup flour, 2 eggs and 1/8 teaspoon salt until very well blended (the batter will be thin, add in a bit more water if the batter is too thick).
4. Brush a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. You can use the cooking spray for this to cut down on the calories, just make sure to use enough or the crepes will stick.
5. Ladle about 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the pan tilting the pan so that the batter coats the bottom.
6. Cook the crepe until the bottom is set (about 1 minute, but DO NOT brown, this should take about 1 minute).
7. Loosen the edges with a knife, turn the crepe and cook until second side is set (do not brown, this should take about 3 minutes).
8. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing or spraying with more oil as necessary.
9. Mix all filling ingredients in a large bowl.
10. Spread about 2 cups of pasta sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
11. Spoon about 4 - 6 tablespoons of filling down the center of each crepe and roll into a tubular shape.
12. Arrange rolled crepes seam side down in the baking dish.
13. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the crepes.
14. Sprinkle 4 cups of mozzarella cheese over the top (at this point you can cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking).
15. Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot in the center.