Healthy Manicotti

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 7
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms or 1 (8 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups low fat cottage cheese
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 14 uncooked manicotti
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 heat oven 350 degrees.
• 2 cook ground beef, onion and garlic in 10-in nonstick skillet, stirring frequently, until beef is brown; drain.
• 3 stir in tomatoes, mushrooms, parsley, basil, fennel seed and salt; break up tomatoes.
• 4 heat to boiling; reduce heat.
• 5 cover and simmer 10 minutes.
• 6 spoon about 1/3 if the beef mixture into ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches.
• 7 mix cottage cheese, 1/3 parmesan cheese, nutmeg, pepper, and spinach.
• 8 fill uncooked manicotti shells with spinach mixture.
• 9 place shells on beef mixture in baking dish.
• 10 pour remaining beef mixture over shells, covering shells completely.
• 11 sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese.
• 12 cover and bake 1 1/2 hours or until manicotti shells are tender.