Spinach & Ricotta Manicotti Recipe (with Video)

To Make the Pomodoro Sauce:
1. Cook basil and garlic in olive oil until fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes and crush with masher or wooden spoon.
3. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and remove basil stalk and garlic cloves.
5. Add salt and pepper and set aside for Manicotti assembly.
To Make the Filling:
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together until fully combined and creamy.
To Make the Pasta Dough:
1. Make a well with your flour on a clean, flat surface or in a bowl.
2. Add eggs and salt into your well and scramble eggs gently within the well.
3. Pull flour into your well a little at a time until it resembles a batter [move to a flat surface if using a bowl].
4. Once it starts forming into a ball, start hand kneading (TIP: A Dough scraper can be very helpful with initial kneading).
5. Kneading motion is folding top over itself, pressing down with heel of hand and then rotating at 90 degrees, repeating this pattern throughout the process.
6. Knead for 5-8 minutes, adding flour a little at a time until no longer sticky. Dough will be ready when it is smooth and bounces back with a gentle finger poke.
7. Form into a round ball and cover (with plastic wrap or bowl) for 30 mins at room temperature.
To Roll Out with a Machine:
1. Cut dough ball in half, and keep other half covered.
2. Prep sheet by rolling with a rolling pin to get ready to feed into machine.
3. Start with widest setting, moving through each level and keeping sheet well floured.
4. Flatten until you get your ideal thickness - I go to level 6 for most pasta.
To Roll Out with a Rolling Pin and Knife:
1. Cut dough ball in half, and keep other half covered.
2. Flour Dough on all sides.
3. Press dough - cut side down - with hand to prep dough to start rolling out.
4. Start rolling dough from top to bottom.
5. Turn sideways and roll with rolling pin to begin squaring off sheet.
6. Repeat this process until until you get your ideal thickness (should see woodgrain of table through pasta sheet).
To Assemble the Manicotti:
1. Cut into 8 even strips across the width of your sheet.
2. Add Pomodoro sauce to the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish.
3. Assemble mini Manicotti by adding 1/8 of the ricotta spinach filling to each strip and placing in 2 rows of 4 in dish.
4. Top with additional Pomodoro Sauce and add grated parmigiano reggiano throughout the top.
5. Bake at 400 for 25 mins and Enjoy!