This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PickedAtPeak #CollectiveBias  Here I’ll share my easy to make – Meat Lovers Manicotti Recipe. Pair this with a veggie salad and a hand-hewn garlic bread for a delicious meal. Plus, get a coupon off your next jar of Prego Farmers’ Market® sauce and watch how one really BIG JAR brought a city of people closer to the farm.

Do you have a meat-lover in your home? If so, you’ll love this easy recipe for Meat Lovers’ Manicotti. It’s packed with garden-fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, spinach and onions [I picked up everything in Walmart’s fresh produce section]. To give this dish an authentic Italian taste, I covered the pasta and meat in Prego Farmers’ Market® Classic Marinara and some shredded cheese.

Now some folks like to roll out their own pasta. And I don’t fault them [I wish I could do it], but I’m a busy mom with two little kids and that much time in the kitchen is just not possible, so I used ready-made Manicotti shells. You can also use Cannelloni shells if you prefer.

The Meat Lovers Manicotti’s Beefy Texture

The secret to my Meat Lovers Manicotti is the texture. I prefer not to put the meat and vegetables in a food processor after they are mixed. Somehow experiencing the big beefy taste of lean ground beef and the hearty hunks of fresh vegetables like carrots, onions and celery, makes this feel and taste like more of a meat-lover’s meal.

Plus, I try not to overload  the dish with cheese. I focus on the beef flavor. My  husband is from Texas. And he tells me all the time how meat makes the meal. So this Meat Lovers Manicotti dish is all about the meat – oh, and the garlic, and the sauce.

Make it for the meat-lover in your life and he or she will thank you for it.

How one really BIG JAR brought a City of People Closer to the Farm

Are you inspired by farm life? I love the flavors of fresh vie-ripened tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and crunchy veggies like celery and carrots. Check out this one minute video. It makes me want to set up a table outside and dine alfresco.

Ingredients for Meat Lovers Manicotti Recipe

• 1.5 Lbs. of Lean Ground Beef – I used 93% fat free
• 1 Box of Manicotti pasta shells
• 1 bulb of minced garlic
• 1 to 2 jars of Prego Farmers’ Market® Classic Marinara or Tomato & Basil
• 1 1/2 Cups of freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese – you can also use Mozzarella
• 3 Tablespoons butter – unsalted
• 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 – 2 Cups Spinach
• 2 Carrots – peeled and chopped into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 stalk of Celery chopped into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 Yellow Onion chopped into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tomato chopped into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Save Money on Prego Farmers’ Market®  Sauces

Shopping for sauce? Make sure to download this awesome coupon to take either 50 cents or $1.00 off your next Prego Farmers’ Market® Classic Marinara or Tomato & Basil purchase.

Directions for Meat Lovers Manicotti Recipe

Step 1: Wash. Wash all produce throughly. Celery and carrots tend to gather dirt in the stalk – so massage away any residue before cooking.

Step 2: Chop and Dice. Peel the carrots and onion and then chop and dice all of the vegetables into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch bite sized pieces. Mice at least one entire bulb of garlic.

Step 3: Sauté the Ground beef and vegetables. In a large frying pan, cook the ground beef on medium to medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes string throughout the cooking process. Use a strainer to drain off any excess fat and put the meat back in the pan once drained.

To keep this recipe quick, while the ground beef is cooking, in a separate large frying pan (with walls at least one to two inches high), heat the butter. Add the onions first and cook until softened and brown on the edges, then add the carrots and celery. Cook for five minutes. Add the spinach, salt, tomato and garlic. Cook for three to four minutes or until everything is softened.

Step 4: Cook the shells and heat the sauce. Heat 8 cups of water to a boil and add the shells. Boil for 6- 8 minutes and drain. In a medium sized pot, heat the Prego Farmers’ Market® Classic Marinara or Tomato & Basil sauce to just below a boil. Turn the burner down to low once you see some bubbles in the sauce. Keeping the recipe to 30 minutes means you’ll have all four burners on the stovetop going at the same time.

Step 5: Add the cheese. Once the ground beef is drained and ready to add to the vegetables, add the meat. Stir frequently to combine all the ingredients. Then add one cup of cheese. You can also opt to add 1/2 cup of ricotta or a 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella, or both depending upon your desired preference for cheese. I stuck to just the shredded monteray and jack cheeses to keep it simple and to keep the emphasis on the hearty beef flavor.

Step 6: Stuff the Manicotti Shells. I have a funnel that has a 1 1/2″ hole in it that makes for perfect shell stuffing. I just load up the steel by placing the funnel on one end and resting the other end of the shell on the top of an empty plate to load the shell with the meat mix.

 

I paired our Meat Lovers Manicotti Recipe with a loaf of garlic bread, and a fresh salad from Walmart’s produce section. The entire meal was rich, delicious, and satisfying. My husband throughly enjoyed the rich beefy flavor of my Meat Lovers Manicotti!

Where to find Prego Farmers’ Market® Sauces

You can find everything you need to create this Meat Lovers Manicotti dish at Walmart. I found the Prego Farmers’ Market® Classic Marinara and Tomato & Basil sauces on the pasta aisle. There are different varieties of Prego Farmers’ Market®  sauces. Any flavor can be used for this recipe. Your selection of pasta [either Manicotti or Cannelloni] depends upon your personal preferences and taste. All of the vegetables for the recipe came from Walmart’s produce section.

Want to shop Walmart for more ingredients for your favorite recipes? Link to Walmart.

What’s your favorite Italian dish?

Do you like to cook with meat and pasta? What’s your favorite Italian dish? Share a link below and let me check out your recipe (if you’ve shared it online). I’m always looking for delicious Italian dinner ideas. Please leave a comment below and join the conversation. I love hearing from my readers.

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