Enchilada Manicotti

When Mike sent me this recipe, I was hesitant at first. It sounded so strange! Then I thought about it for a little while, and it started to make sense. Pasta instead of tortilla. Chunky enchilada sauce instead of a red sauce. Ricotta AND shredded Mexican cheeses. RICOTTA. I was sold.

This is a fun, simple dish to make and was a satisfying meal that produced at least two days' worth of leftovers - definitely a win in my book!

Enchilada Manicotti
(via The Food in My Beard)

For filling (slightly different from original recipe):

4 oz Jack Cheese (we used TJ's Lite Mexican Cheese blend)
1 Cup Ricotta
1 11 oz Can Refried Beans (fat free refried beans from TJ's are the jam!)
4 Tablespoons Parsley

For sauce:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Small Onion
1 28 oz Can Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 4.5 oz Can Muir Glen diced green chiles (we used one can of TJ's fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles for convenience)
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Diced Bell Pepper
3 Chopped Chipotles from a Can with Adobo
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
5 Clove Diced Garlic

1 Box Manicotti Shells
4 oz Jack Cheese

Mix filling ingredients in a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, saute onions in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir. Saute for about 1 minute. Add cumin and stir to combine. Add other sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Boil Manicotti shells according to package and strain.

Pour some of the sauce in the bottom of a casserole pan.

Stuff filling into shells.

Coat filled shells in sauce. Top shells with more sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool 10 minutes and serve.

This was delicious and a fun activity - who doesn't love stuffing shells with a gooey cheese mixture?!

Next time we might add a sausage to the filling (maybe TJ's jalapeno chicken sausage?) for additional flavor and protein. All in all, a successful dinner!