String Cheese Manicotti

5 from 1 vote

This String Cheese Manicotti is a simple, cheesy dinner you can whip up quickly. Stuffed with string cheese and baked with rich meat sauce, it’s a weeknight winner.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: String Cheese Manicotti

Servings:

Calories: 409kcal

Author: Ryan Allen

Equipment

Ingredients

12 manicotti pasta shells
1 pound ground beef
½ cup yellow onion finely diced
3 teaspoons garlic minced
24 ounce jar of pasta sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups baby spinach chopped
12 pieces string cheese
1½ cups mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray.
In a large pot over high heat, boil a pot of salted water and cook the manicotti according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion and ground beef until the beef is no longer pink and the onion is soft. Add the garlic and saute for 3 seconds, then drain off excess grease.
Add pasta sauce and black pepper. Stir until well combined, then bring to a simmer. Add spinach and stir in. Cook until the spinach is wilted and then remove from the heat.
Add half of the meat sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Then stuff each manicotti with 1 piece of string cheese and place in the baking dish.
Top with the remaining meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Then, cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Then remove foil and continue to bake for 5 minutes.

Notes

Cook the manicotti shells until al dente to prevent tearing.
Slide each cheese stick gently into the pasta to keep the shells intact.
Drain excess liquid from the meat and vegetables to keep the sauce thick.
Cover the dish with foil while baking to melt the cheese evenly.

Nutrition