CHEESY VEGETABLE MANICOTTI

Cheesy Vegetable Manicotti image

Provided by Katie Lee Biegel

Time 1h25m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, finely diced
1 small yellow squash, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 large egg, beaten
One 28-ounces can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Neutral oil or nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish
12 manicotti shells, cooked according to package instructions and drained
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and yellow squash, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the squash softens but is not mushy, about 4 minutes. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and let cool.
Add the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the cooled vegetables. Stir to combine.
For the tomato sauce: In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes with their juices until they are coarsely ground or chop the tomatoes by hand. Transfer them to a bowl, add the salt and pepper, then stir in the basil.
For the manicotti: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
Transfer the filling mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Snip a large hole out of one corner of the bag with scissors and use the bag to pipe the mixture into the cooked manicotti shells.
Spread about 1 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place the manicotti shells into the baking dish. Spread the remaining sauce over the manicotti. Top with the mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.