Growing up my favorite dish my mom ever made was Manicotti. I loveddddd it. My mom always made them with crepes. It wasn’t until I was older that realized Manicotti is usually made with a pasta shell. However I am not a fan of pasta any more since my gastric bypass and it is not a friend to me in my stomach. So this is now a re-newed favorite for me because it is so easy to eat! YUM!!
I first start my pasta sauce if I do not have some in the freezer from making before hand. Here is a link to my pasta sauce that I use on many of my recipes. — CLICK HERE
Once I have my sauce created or while it is cooking/simmering I start my crepe recipe. I make it in my blender. It is faster and easier to pour up.
You need to make the crepes at least an hour or 2 before to allow all the bubbles to come to the surface. I mix up my crepe batter and after 2 hours I start to make all my crepes.
I use a small non stick skillet on medium/medium high heat. I spray the pan with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) every 3-4 crepes I make.
Pour in a medium size “pancake” amount and then quickly swirl around the batter to make a thin pancake/crepe that filled the bottom of my skillet. It will cook approx 2-3 minutes then flip over and cook 1 minute more and remove to a cookie sheet to cool before I then can stack the crepes on top of each other.
Once I make the crepes I start on the filling.
I use Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, italian 4 cheese blend and more Parmesan cheese.
I mix in a bowl 2 eggs, a 24 oz cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 cup 4 cheese blend, 2 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, black pepper to taste.
In the bottom of my prepared 9×13 glass pan, I put in approx 1/2 – 1 cup of pasta sauce just to lightly coat the bottom of my pan.
I fill 1 crepe with cheese mixture. I am not sure how much. Approx 2 big spoonfuls. 1/10 of the mixture since this till make 10 filled crepes.
Roll up the crepes and seam side down into the pan.
Repeat till you fill all 10 (if you make smaller crepes you can add more)
This is a full pan of 10 filled crepes.
Spoon more sauce on till nicely coated with pasta sauce.
Add more cheese. Again I eyeball but about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of each of the mozzarella and 4 cheese blend. Then sprinkle on more parmesan. (WE LOVE CHEESE)
Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Making sure it all well heated thru and the cheese starts to bubble/brown ever so lightly.
All baked.
I do want to note that I DID have extra filling for 2 more crepes. So I pulled out a glass pie pan and made 2 more….
I never let it go to waste. And my crepe recipe makes 19 large crepes. Having used 12 the other 7 I will make dessert or breakfast with 🙂
Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving to firm up a bit and enjoy with a salad and garlic bread. YUM YUM!!!
Ingredients:
Pasta Sauce – RECIPE HERE
Crepes – makes approx 19 large
2 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, melted
Cheese Filling & Topping-
2 eggs
24 oz cottage cheese
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (reserve 1/2 c for topping)
1 1/2 cup 4 cheese blend from Sam’s Club (reserve 1/2 c for topping)
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (reserve 1/4 c for topping)
black pepper to taste.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Make Pasta Sauce
2 Make Crepes. Blending all the ingredients in a blender for 10 seconds. Put blender in the refrigerator for 1 hour minimum to allow air bubbles to rise.
3. In a medium/medium high small skillet with EVOO sprayed make crepes. (or any cooking spray) Cooking on the 1st side for 2-3 minutes and 1 minute on the other side. Allow to cool.
4. In a bowl, mix together all the cheese filling ingredients (make sure you reserve the extra cheese for topping)
5. In a prepared 9×13 dish, add approx 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pasta sauce.
6. Fill crepes with 2 large spoon fulls of cheese filling , roll up and place in dish seam side down (so it wont unroll)
7. Once you fill all 10 crepes. Add more pasta sauce to the top till well covered but not downing. 🙂
8. Use the remaining cheese to sprinkle over the top of your Manicotti.
9. Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until cheese is completely melted and starting to brown a little bit.
10. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
Both deaf since the age of 3, Chad and Mary Beth enjoy not only raising their little family but photographing together, cooking & crafting as well. Living in Central Florida with their ...
