I got this recipe from one of my best friends in Virginia back when we each had a couple of babies to juggle and big dreams of writing a book on Motherhood organization. Yeah, we had it all down.  We had a big outline and everything and worked week after week on it along with crafts of all sorts as our kids toddled around together.  There was only one problem: one of us wasn’t very organized. But at least I was organized enough to copy down a few good recipes from her including one for spinach manicotti.

2012-10-04 cooking 61762

We’ve used it ever since. Over and over. Cause it’s easy-peasy.  And good. And includes spinach.  Which is always a good thing in my book. This is what you need:

2012-10-04 cooking 61759

(Any kind of spaghetti sauce will do…that vodka sauce is just all we had on hand…and it was good I must say.) Oh, and you need this too:

2012-10-04 cooking 61761

Here you go: 1 small onion diced 8 oz. cottage cheese 10 oz. frozen spinach (or 1 1/2 c. fresh chopped) 2 eggs shredded mozzarella cheese (as much as you want…I usually do around 1-1 1/2 cups) Mix together:

2012-10-04 cooking 61750

Fill the manicotti shells with your mixture and place them in a 9×13 pan with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce spread on the bottom:

2012-10-04 cooking 61746

This is kind of a messy job, but someone’s got to do it.

2012-10-04 cooking 61751

(Place them kind of far apart because they grow when they cook.) Then spoon some spaghetti sauce on top.

2012-10-04 cooking 61753

Then sprinkle some fresh mozzarella cheese on that.

2012-10-04 cooking 61756

Add a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of the pan to give it a little moisture, cover with tinfoil and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Uncover and cook for 15 more minutes. Voila, deliciousness ready for dinner. Thanks, Stephanie…miss you and all those days filled with our toddlers who are now in high school!