Manicotti - One of our favorite meals!

Before we go any further, I have to tell you: I kind of made this recipe up. I know, scary, right? When Devin and I were first married, he mentioned that his Mom's manicotti was one of his favorite dinners. I'd never had, or even heard of manicotti. So, on our first Valentine's Day as a married couple I called his Mom up and asked for the recipe. She responded by saying she didn't really have one, she just kinda threw it together.

AGH! As a new bride, not using a recipe was unheard of! (frankly, it still terrifies me). She gave me what directions she could, but I didn't think it would work out. Still wanting to impress my husband for with a scrumptious Valentine's dinner I went to google and looked up the recipe. There are a TON of different ways to put manicotti together. Based on tips from my mother-in-law, ideas from online recipes, and my knowledge of lasagna, I came up with this recipe. *note, it took a few times to get this right. The first time I made it, we had WAY to much filling for manicotti noodles. Not wanting to be wasteful, I tried putting it on a sandwhich the next day. NOT a good idea. Leave it for inside the noodles. 

 Okay, on to the recipe:

Manicotti:
1/2 lb ground beef $1.75
1/2 container of cottage cheese $0.79
1 pkg. Itallian mix cheese $1.25
1 c. cheddar cheese $.20
1 box manicotti noodles $2.29
1 jar Ragu Garden Combination Sauce $1.89 (I have tried multiple brands and flavors, this one is by FAR the best for this meal) 
Total: $8.17
4 Servings = $2.04 per person. Pretty good for a fancy meal!


Directions:
1. Brown the hamburger. Season with salt and pepper as desired. 
2. Mix all the ingredients (except the sauce an noodles, of course) together in a bowel. Save a little bit of the Italian cheese mixture for the end. Like a handful or two.

3. Get out a cake pan and pour a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, just enough to  cover it.

4. Stuff the mixture into the uncooked manicotti. (when I first started making this, I tried using a utensil to stuff the manicotti and  it took way to long. Now I use my hands. Warning: it gets kinda messy. oh, and don't pay attention to the dirty dishes in the background). Place in pan.

5. After all of the manicotti are in the pan, pour the remaining sauce on top.

 
6. Cover the pan with tinfoil and put in the oven at 350 degrees, bake for 50 minutes. *note, it is essential to top the pan with tinfoil in order for the noodles to cook! Don't forget this step. (my pan also has tinfoil on the bottom, because they're having a rusting problem) 

7. I always top the manicotti with some Italian cheese mixture and a little parsley, because I like how it makes it look fancy.

8. Eat and enjoy! I usually serve with green beans.