Thursday, April 2, 2009

Crab and Ricotta Manicotti


I’ve been looking for another non-meat dish to serve during Lent and this was perfect. This is elegant, easy and so yummy. We were at the circus all afternoon so I prepared this in advance and just popped it into the oven when we got home. It was a great meal after a belly full of cotton candy.

Recipe adapted from “Everyday Pasta” by Giada De Laurentiis. (my changes in red)

1 box of manicotti pasta (12 shells) or an 8-(ounce) box cannelloni 2 boxes
1 C Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese 32 oz
¾ C Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus ¼ C for sprinkling
Mozzarella for filling and for sprinkling
1 Egg Yolk 2 whole eggs
½ C Chopped fresh basil
Parsley
Nutmeg
Sage
1 lb Lump Crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
¼ tsp Salt (no salt)
¼ tsp Freshly Ground White Pepper
Butter for Pan
Béchamel Sauce

Bring pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Drain.

In large bowl, mix together ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, egg, Parsley, nutmeg, sage, basil, crab, salt and pepper.

Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter (Pam spray) 9X 13 X 2 inch glass baking dish.

Fill the manicotti with the crab mixture and place in the prepared baking dish. Top the filled manicotti with the Béchamel sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

10 comments:

Jenny @ flutterbyechronicles said...

I am so hungry right now and this looks awesome.

Sara said...

These look so good, I love crab. I would have never thought to stuff manicotta with crab, thanks for the idea!

Claudia said...

I am so making this! Never thought to pair the manicotti with crab. And now i am astounded that I didn't!

Halla said...

This looks delicious!!!

Anonymous said...

I'd love this dish, I just know it!

Jennifer said...

Impressive, makes me hungry just looking at it!

Maria said...

Wow, what a tasty meal!

grace said...

all you have to do to make this irresistible to me is leave out the crab. that's all. :)

Shelly said...

This looks great! I bet I could even get my husband on board with this even though he's not a big seafood fan.

Tonya @ What's On My Plate said...

i LOVE the sound of these!