A pleasing blend of ground beef, cottage cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg whites and dried oregano is stuffed into large tubes of cooked manicotti in this satisfying baked dish. Blanket the stuffed pasta with spaghetti sauce, top with cheese and bake.
INGREDIENTS (for 6 servings):
- 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti pasta
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
PREPARATION:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and cool. Reserve.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown beef on medium heat. Drain and cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine beef, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg whites and oregano. Mix well. Stuff shells with mixture.
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enough spaghetti sauce in dish to cover the bottom. Place stuffed noodles in the dish. Cover with spaghetti sauce and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes.