Chicken Manicotti with White Sauce

I was watching TV the other day and one of TV chefs made this dish. It looked SO good! She made it with crab, which I have a profound weakness for. But...IT Guy does not. So I knew if I were to make this, I'd have to change it up. Her recipe was a little more complicated so I dumbed it down for me. After all...this IS Simple Fare, right? Anyway....here's my easy take on a yummy recipe!

Chicken Manicotti with White Sauce



2 large chicken breasts
1 cup Ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
12 manicotti shells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place chicken that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Bake 45 minutes or until chicken is done and juices run clear.

Cool chicken and shred with two forks or place in your mixer to shred using the paddle attachment for a few seconds.

Stir in the Ricotta, Parmesan, egg and basil. Stir to combine. Add shredded chicken.

Fill the uncooked manicotti shells with the chicken mixture.

Pour white sauce over the filled shells.

Cover dish with foil.

Bake for about 45 minutes until shells are tender.

Here's what you need.

I baked four chicken breasts but only used two. 

I saved the other two for another recipe. 

Look at me being all pro-active!

Shred your chicken. This is my new 

favorite way to shred chicken. 

In my Kitchenaid using the paddle attachment.

Love it!

Mix the cheeses, egg, basil and salt and pepper.

Then add the shredded chicken.

Then fill the uncooked manicotti. 

I just used my fingers and stuffed the filling down in there.

White Sauce

5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted.

Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat a couple of minutes.

Pour milk into flour/butter mixture.

Bring to a boil. Cook 7 - 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat.

Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

Next make the white sauce.

Melt the butter then add the flour

 and cook that a minute or so. 

Then pour in the milk.

Bring to a boil, whisking the whole

 time....then add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Pour the sauce over the stuffed shells.

Bake it up then chow down!

I whipped this up just so I could use these Johnsonville 4-Cheese sausages. They've been staring at me from my freezer for a while now and to be honest, I got tired of their beady little eyes giving me dirty looks every time I opened my freezer. HA! I showed them! I cooked 'em. I cooked 'em good!! Tasty!

Four Cheese Sausage Manicotti



1 pound 4-cheese sausage (I used Johnsonville)
1 medium onion - diced
2 garlic cloves - minced
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese - divided use
1 16-ounce container Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 32-ounce jar pasta sauce (or homemade, about 4 cups)
10 - 12 manicotti shells - uncooked

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in some olive oil until tender.

Remove casings from sausage and add sausage to onion mixture. Cook until meat is done and no longer pink.

Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Add pasta sauce and allow to simmer.

In a medium bowl, combine the Ricotta cheese, eggs and HALF of the mozzarella cheese. Using a pastry bag or a large zip top bag with the corner snipped off, fill the uncooked manicotti shells with cheese mixture.

Place filled shells in prepared pan. Pour warm sauce over shells and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for an hour or so.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly and shells are soft.

The line-up...

Here's a close up of the sausage I used. Yummy!

Saute the onion and garlic until tender, then add the sausage and cook through. Add the seasonings, too!

Add the sauce and keep warm.

Combine the ricotta, half of the mozzarella and the eggs.

Pipe..or spoon...the cheese filling into the uncooked shells.

Place the manicotti in the prepared pan then pour the warm sauce over them.

Cover with remaining cheese and then cover with a layer of plastic wrap. Allow to sit at room temp for an hour or so.

Bake it up...let it sit for a few minutes then enjoy!!

Mexican Manicotti Casserole

You know us and Mexican food. Any way to fix, have it, eat it...we are all over it. This was SO yummy! Kinda like enchiladas...kinda not. Kinda like Mexican...kinda like Italian....it was Mexitalian!! We had ZERO leftovers of this dish which is always kind of a bummer for me and IT Guy. While I'm cleaning up the kitchen from dinner, I enjoy having some leftovers to prepare for IT Guy's lunch the next day. I'm not sure who's more disappointed...him or me. Him, because if it's something he really likes and there's no leftovers, he doesn't get to enjoy it again...or me, because it's so easy to throw the leftovers in a plastic container and be done. Oh well...this dish was so simple to prepare, we'll do it another day and have leftovers THEN. As long as I keep it on the down-low.



Mexican Manicotti Casserole

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion - diced
• 1/2 of a 16 oz can (1 cup) refried beans
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 8 manicotti shells
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup water
• 1 8 oz carton sour cream
• 1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
• 1 cup cheese

Saute onions until tender then add the ground beef and cook until beef is done. Add refried beans, oregano and cumin. Mix well then spoon into the manicotti shells.

Arrange stuffed shells into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Combine salsa and water and pour over shells.

Sprinkle cheese and olives over the top of the salsa. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes until shells are soft and casserole is bubbly.

Serve with extra salsa and sour cream

The line-up of ingredients. You could 

even throw in a can of diced green chilies.

Brown the onion and ground beef until done. 

Then throw in half a can of refried beans, 

some sour cream, cumin, oregano and salt & pepper. 

 Stir that up until it's nice and combined. This is 

where you'd add the green chilies if you were using them.

Combine the water and salsa.

Stuff the UNCOOKED manicotti shells 

with the meat mixture. How do you like 

the nice and neat job I did with that? Not.

Then pour the salsa/water 

mixture over the stuffed shells.

Sprinkle with grated cheese 

and olives. Cover and bake for 

30 minutes or so until hot and bubbly.

Serve with extra sour cream and salsa!!!