Recipe: Garlicky Shrimp Manicotti
Description: We love shrimp, we love pasta . . . this recipe combines the best of both! While these are perfectly delicious reheated the next day, I would advise baking any leftovers only when needed as the pasta does tend to soften after reheating, making removal from the baking dish (and therefore a pretty presentation) more difficult. Preparation time does not include time to make the marinara sauce or the home-made manicotti.
Ingredients: [{"text": "1/2 tablespoon olive oil"}, {"text": "1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and cut into thirds"}, {"text": "1 garlic clove, finely minced"}, {"text": "1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped"}, {"text": "fresh ground black pepper"}, {"text": "8 ounces mozzarella cheese (fresh or otherwise, but NOT grated)"}, {"text": "2 cups marinara sauce (I use my My \"base for Everything\" Zippy Marinara Sauce)"}, {"text": "9 fresh manicotti crepes (I use my Fresh-Made Manicotti or Cannelloni Crepes Shells)"}]
Instructions: Pre-heat oven to 400&deg;F.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat (TIP: you can probably use the same pan as you made your manicotti in if you followed my recipe).
Add the shrimp pieces and the garlic, and cook quickly, stirring, until the shrimp just turns pick; remove from heat.
Stir in the parsley and season to taste with pepper; set aside.
Divide the mozzarella in half; cut one of the halves in nine equally-sized strips and cut the other half in small cubes.
Using a small amount of the marinara sauce, coat the bottom of as many oven-proof baking dishes as needed--manicotti expand during cooking, so don't overcrowd and also bear in mind whether you'll be eating them all at one meal or will have leftovers (see comment in description about re-heating).
Divide the shrimp mixture equally between the 9 manicotti shells, placing it in a vertical strip on each.
Lay one strip of mozzarella on each over the shrimp mixture.
With the vertical strip facing you, bring the left and right sides of the crepe towards the center, folding one over the other and using your hands to make a nice compact tube.
Place seam-side down in your baking dish and repeat with remaining.
Top manicottis with the marinara sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cubes over all.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the marinara is bubbly.
Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
