A delicious, vegetarian stuffed manicotti featuring mild flavored stinging nettle. Guests will be proud to conquer this wild edible even though it's flavor is very mild in this dish. It's really all about the cheese and sauce! Be sure to double the recipe because it freezes very well.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: baked pasta, chicken pasta sauce, pasta, pasta bake, stinging nettle, vegetarian, wild edibles
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add manicotti and return to boil. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until slightly less done than el dente (shells still hold their shape). Do not overcook.
Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside in a single layer allowing water to run off.
Prepare Stinging Nettle
With gloves on, wash and pat dry stinging nettle leaves and tips.
Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and add half of stinging nettle leaves. Cook until completely wilted and dark green, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and repeat with remainder of nettle leaves.
The nettle is now safe to eat and touch, remove gloves and squeeze out as much water as possible.
Place on cutting board and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
Assemble and Cook
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cover bottom of 8x8 casserole dish with half (1 1/2) cups of pasta sauce.
In large bowl, mix ricotta, ½ cup mozzarella, 3tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, nutmeg and stinging nettle.
Use a teaspoon, piping bag without a tip or plastic bag with a tip cut off to fill pasta shells with ricotta mix. Don't overstuff - there's enough ricotta mix for all shells, just be aware.
Place manicotti on top of sauce. Pour remainder of pasta sauce on top.
Mix 1/2 cup mozzarella and 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese together. Sprinkle on top of sauce.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese bubbles and turns brown.
Freeze
To Freeze: Do not bake. Cool assembled dish completely. Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil or lid. Label with cooking instructions.
To Prepare from Frozen: Thaw overnight in fridge. Remove all wrapping, cover with foil and cook at 350°F for 50 minutes, uncover and cook another 5 to 10 minutes. Or bake direct from frozen for 1 3/4 - 2 hours until heated through and cheese is bubbly and turning golden.
Makes: 7 manicotti noodles
Serves: 3-4 people
Notes
For tips on filling and using un-cooked manicotti shell see article at www.gettystewart.com. I've used a mix of cheddar and mozza for the cheese with great results.Nutrition info based on spinach, sadly nettle is not in the database.