Manicotti

12 Uncooked manicotti shells
Vegetable cooking spray (or a Tablespoon Olive Oil)
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Cup shredded, part skim Mozarella cheese, divided
1/2 Cup Grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper (freshly ground would be the best)
1 (15 ounce) carton of Ricotta cheese
1 (6 ounce) package of vegetable herb cream cheese, softened
4 ounces softened non-fat cream cheese
1/2 of a 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (27.5 ounce) tomato and herb pasta sauce
Oregano sprigs

Preparation:
Coat a nonstick pan with vegetable spray (or oil olive), bring to medium-hot, sautee garlic and onions for approximately 3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

Combine 1/2 Cup Mozarella cheese, 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese and next 5 ingrediants (mozarella through non-fat cream cheese) in a bowl. Mix at medium speed until smooth. Stir in sauteed onion, garlic and spinach.

Prepare your casserole pan by coating it with cooking spray (or brush on olive oil). Two options are available; #1 use a 9"x13" pan or #2 use 6 individual casserole pans.
Spoon 1 Cup of sauce evenly between the 6 individual pans or 1 Cup spread smoothly across the bottom of your 9"x13" pan (I am a little generous with my cup).

Cook manicotti shells according to package directions, drain, cool immediately in ice water.

When ready to fill the shells, drain the pasta and place them seperately on a lightly oiled platter to prevent them from sticking to each other. Spoon cheese mixture into shells (or use a cookie press to squeeze cheese mixture into shells).

Place 2 filled Manicotti shells in the individual casserole pans (or arrange all twelve in large 9"x13" pan), spoon the remaining pasta sauce across the top of shells. Cover pans with foil and place in 350 degree oven on a baking sheet, bake for 35 minutes.

Remove pans from oven, remove foil and sprinkle with the remaining mozarella and parmesan cheese. Replace pans in oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melty and brown.

Notes: My vegetarian daughter loves this dish!!! This recipe is courtesy of Cooking Light, one of my favorite cooking sites. I did have to substitute regular cream cheese instead of non-fat and the preparation had to be different. The shells have a tendency to rip if cooked too long and if they are not in water prior to being filled, they also seem to stick together. If you can find a cookie press at a garage sale, pick it up, it is much easier pressing the cheese mixture into the shells versus "spooning" it in.

I usually boil extra manicotti shells because I always have extra cheese mixture (and my shells seem to break apart). The last time I made this I cooked up 14 shells and still had enough for at least 2 more filled shells. You can freeze these individual cheese filled manicotti shells to use at a latter date (like the next time you make home-made spaghetti sauce--recipe coming soon). The box of manicotti shells says to boil for 6 minutes, which I follow religously. The shells will seem undercooked. Don't worry! Baking them in the oven with the marinara sauce (or meat sauce) will finish the cooking process.

This is NOT a simple meal but it is rewarding!