CHRISTMAS EVE MANICOTTI

Christmas Eve Manicotti image

My mother is full-blooded Sicilian. Christmas Eve we celebrated the Vigil and had 7 fish dishes. Since my children were not super fans of anything more than shrimp, I made manicotti to add to the squid and octopus they didn't like. The crepes and the fluffy cheese and spinach filling are sure to satisfy vegetarians as well.

Provided by Fantasy Gardener and Chef

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 3h

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

4 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or more as needed
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups prepared marinara sauce, or as needed
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or to taste

Steps:

Whisk 4 eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a bowl; gradually whisk flour into eggs, alternating with milk, to make a smooth batter. Whisk melted butter into batter; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Pour vegetable oil into a small bowl. Heat a small skillet over medium heat; brush skillet with vegetable oil using a pastry brush. Ladle in enough batter to lightly cover the bottom of the skillet, about 1/4 cup; swirl skillet to cover bottom completely. Cook crepe until it turns lightly golden brown on the bottom; flip and cook until other side has small brown spots. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing the skillet with oil as needed to prevent crepes from sticking; set cooked crepes aside between layers of waxed paper.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly mix spinach, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, green onion, onion powder, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 eggs in a bowl until filling is thoroughly combined.
Spread 1 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place a crepe onto a work surface and spoon about 3 tablespoons filling, or more as needed, in a line down the center of each crepe. Roll crepe over filling and set into sauce in pan; repeat with remaining crepes and filling, laying filled crepes into pan. Spread remaining marinara sauce over filled crepes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling and mozzarella cheese is melted and slightly browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 505.1 calories, Carbohydrate 42.1 g, Cholesterol 203.1 mg, Fat 26.4 g, Fiber 3.7 g, Protein 25.1 g, SaturatedFat 13.7 g, Sodium 886.4 mg, Sugar 10.1 g