Four Cheese Manicotti

This was dinner on Saturday night. Simple and delicious and so good. I served it with a nice tossed salad and some warm and crusty Italian bread fresh out of the oven. Those Italians sure know what they're doing when it comes to cooking! Who doesn't love pasta like this?

 NOTE: I held up on the sauce for the photo because it is hard to capture the right color when the red sauce is too prominent. However, I the manicotti was sitting on top of just the right amount of marinara sauce when I served it.

Four Cheese Manicotti

1 box (about 12) manicotti, uncooked
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 jar (6 oz) tomato paste
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2 cups (16 oz.) shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup (4 oz) shredded provolone cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain well. In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes.

Filling: Combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg; mix well. Carefully stuff your cooked pasta with cheese mixture.

Spread half the sauce on bottom of greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti over sauce. Spoon remaining sauce on top; cover tightly with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Note: You may want to add ground beef or Italian Sausage to your sauce.

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