I Made Homemade Manicotti...You Can Too!

For today's recipe swap hosted by Grocery Cart Challenge, I want to share a recipe that I tried over the weekend from Everyday With Rachael Ray's February issue. Sometimes, I read a recipe, see something that looks daunting and flip the page. That was my initial reaction to this recipe. But my husband really likes manicotti, so I thought I would give it a try even though the notion of making crepes was scary. I almost bought ready made shells just in case but decided that would show a lack of faith in myself so I charged ahead. And the result was good! Sorry, I don't have photos. I almost dashed for the camera in between crepes but feared losing my mojo.

Homemade Manicotti
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated romano cheese
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley ( I used dried and I did NOT use this much)
2 tbsp milk
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups store-bought meat sauce (I made a homemade marinara with crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup romano, the parsley and milk.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 cup water. Whisk in the flour.
Heat a greased 8″ nonstick skillet over medium heat. Ladle 3 tbsp batter into the skillet (I used a shot glass for measurement), swirling to cover the surface of the pan. Cook for 1 minute, flip and cook for 1 minute more. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the skillet after each crepe. Stack the crepes on a plate.
Spread half of the meat sauce into a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Spoon the cheese mixture down the center of each crepe. Roll closed; arrange in the baking dish. Top with the remaining meat sauce and cheese, Bake for 25 minutes.

According to Hubby, these needed more cheese on top. I would also recommend whisking your crepe batter a few times in between crepes. My flour seemed to settle so my first few were eggy and the last ones more noodle like.

Try it! Don't be intimidated by the crepes like I almost was !