Manicotti

1 pkg. Manicotti noodles

Filling:
1 (15oz. container) fat-free cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons parsley
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Stir gently, to combine

1 (28.oz) jar spaghetti sauce

Cook pasta. Cool. Take filling and spoon into noodles. (This can be done with a regular dinner spoon.)
Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of pan. Arrange pasta in a 13x9 inch pan. Pour remaining sauce over pasta.
You may sprinkle additional mozarella cheese, and Parmesan over the top of pasta sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove foil for an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese on top.

Saturday morning is a great time to get your Sunday dinner going. Your kids are all working and so are you, only in the kitchen, not the play room. I usually under cook my pasta by a few minutes, because it can be hard to work with if your pasta is too soft.

I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta because I found the ricotta was too strong for my family. Manicotti is a great dish, because it looks fancy and tastes so much better than spaghetti.
 

Skillet Ravioli

1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup water
1 25 oz. package meat or cheese filled ravioli
1 beaten egg
1 15 oz. container of cottage cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
A handful of fresh spinach (can use frozen if needed)

In a 12 inch skillet combine spaghetti sauce and water; bring to a boil.
Stir in ravioli.

Cover and cook mixture over medium heat for five minutes, or until ravioli are nearly tender, stirring mixture  to prevent sticking. (a medium boil) Give it a good stir before adding further ingredients.

In medium mixing bowl combine egg, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese.

Dot the ravioli with spinach, spoon cheese mixture on top. Cover and cook over a low heat about 10 minutes until cheese layer is set and pasta is just tender.
You need to continue a low boil to get your pasta cooked through.
Do not stir.

The amazing thing about this recipe is how quickly it is finished. 15 minutes! You can't beat it. Kids will eat this. I dot spinach on half the pan for those who are picky. This is one my kids top ten. Your kids will love it!

It serves four people. I have some small eaters so I can get away with one bag of pasta. If you are serving more than that, you may need to double the recipe. If you do, use two jars spaghetti sauce and 1/3 cup of water.  This should be served from the pan as everything is set at this point.