I must admit that I love anything with lots of cheese, but that’s OK because cheese has lots of calcium in it, and it tastes great.

This recipe is adapted from one found in “The Firefighter’s Cookbook” by John Sineno. I know I’ve had the book a long time because it doesn’t even have a UPC code on it. However, it is filled with many hearty and easy to prepare recipes. The manicotti starts with the sauce, and that is my biggest deviation from the book.

Sauce (this is even better if you make it the day before and let it sit overnight in the fridge):

  1. Chop (fine) the following: 2/3 cup onions, 1/2 cup green pepper, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic
  2. Saute in small skillet with butter and olive oil (about 1 tablespoon of each) till the onions are transparent
  3. Add 1/2 cup chopped scallions and 1 cup of chopped mushrooms, cook over medium heat for another 2 minutes
  4. In a small saucepan empty a 16oz can of tomato sauce. Add cooked ingredients. Heat till warm.

Shells:
The batter for the shells must be prepared at least one hour before using. The club soda breaks down the gluten in the flour and yields a better batter.
3 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup club soda
pinch of salt
hearty pinch of Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning

  1. Beat eggs well with a whisk or fork; gradually add flour and blend thoroughly. Slowly add club soda and seasonings. Continue stirring until batter is smooth. Set in refrigerator for at least one hour before cooking shells. I do not recommend letting this sit overnight!
  2. Heat a small cured crepe pan or a 6″ diameter cast iron skillet, and lightly oil with olive oil. Keep an oiled paper towel handy, you will have to re-oil the pan as you cook the shells.
  3. Add no more than two tablespoons of batter at a time to pan. Cook on one side only until they are set. Do NOT brown. Transfer onto wax paper; continue until all batter is used. You could also make the shells the day before and store the cooked shells in the fridge.

Filing:
1/2 pound ricotta cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 pound parmesan cheese, grated. Use fresh, not canned
1/4 cup whole wheat bran
1 tablespoon oat bran
pinch of Mrs. Dash and garlic powder
1 tablespoon parsley, fresh is better

  1. Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Place about 2 tablespoons of filing on each crepe. Roll.
  3. I use a rectangular baking dish (15″ x 10″ X 2″). Lightly oil the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce over the bottom of the pan.
  4. Place the manicotti rolls in the pan and cover them with sauce.
  5. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

If you have vegetarian friends (or are one yourself), this is a great dish to make. If you like meat, then you can serve this with Italian sausage or some baked chicken. The above recipe will serve 4 people (the book says 6 servings, but I’ve never managed that many because it just tastes too good).

Enjoy!