Recipe Background
Psst. Hey. Here's the secret behind Christmas Night Manicotti... it's not actually made with manicotti. We know! Shocker! Instead, Christmas Night Manicotti serves up extra-tender, golden crêpes. We all love pasta, of course, but doesn't that just sound even better than pasta? Of course, it's not the non-pasta alone that makes Christmas Night Manicotti special. It stuffs itself full of tangy, cheesy, refreshing goodness! Slathered with rich tomato sauce and even more melty cheese, this dish really does pass out the festive fun!
Psst. Hey. Here's the secret behind Christmas Night Manicotti... it's not actually made with manicotti. We know! Shocker! Instead, Christmas Night Manicotti serves up extra-tender, golden crêpes. We all love pasta, of course, but doesn't that just sound even better than pasta? Of course, it's not the non-pasta alone that makes Christmas Night Manicotti special. It stuffs itself full of tangy, cheesy, refreshing goodness! Slathered with rich tomato sauce and even more melty cheese, this dish really does pass out the festive fun!
Ingredients
- 6 eggs divided
- 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- vegetable oil to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach thawed, drained and squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- 3 tablespoons green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups marinara sauce divided
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Directions
- In a bowl, add 4 of the eggs and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and whisk to combine.
- Gradually add the flour and the milk to the egg mixture, while whisking and alternating additions between the two, until smooth.
- Add the melted butter to the egg mixture and whisk to combine into a batter.
- Refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour.
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat.
- Brush a thin layer of the extra vegetable oil on the hot skillet and allow it to heat.
- Ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter into the hot oil and immediately swirl the skillet to spread the batter out thinly and to completely cover the bottom.
- Cook until the crêpe turns lightly golden-brown on the bottom, about 1-2 minutes.
- Flip and cook until the bottom has small brown spots, about 30 seconds-1 minute.
- Transfer the crêpe to a plate, making sure to layer the crêpe between pieces of wax paper to prevent it from sticking to the plate or to the other crêpes.
- Repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter and more of the vegetable oil.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a bowl, add the ricotta, the spinach, the parmesan cheese, the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the green onions, the remaining eggs, the onion powder, the oregano, and the remaining salt and stir to combine.
- In the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce.
- On a work surface, place 1 of the crêpes.
- Spoon 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture down the center of the crêpe and roll it up over the filling.
- Place the rolled-up crêpe in the baking dish on top of the marinara layer.
- Repeat with the remaining crêpes and the remaining ricotta mixture.
- Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the filled crêpes.
- Sprinkle the sauce layer evenly with the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the mozzarella cheese is melted and slightly browned, about 20-30 minutes.
- Serve garnished with the extra parsley.
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