Mexican Stuffed Manicotti

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Manicotti stuffed with Mexican spiced ground beef and vegetables then topped off with a tomato and salsa sauce for a tasty fusion cuisine.

Have you ever had fusion cuisine?   I think the first time I ever tried it was when we were in Hawaii.   We had several different fusion dishes and all of them were really delicious.

What is Fusion Cooking?

Fusion cooking is a style of food that combines ingredients, techniques, or flavors from two or more different culinary regions into a single dish or meal. The goal is to create something new, interesting, and delicious by blending elements from diverse cultures.

I’ve made several fusion recipes including these Korean BBQ Sloppy Joes.  A super popular fusion dish that’s served at a lot of restaurants is Taco Pizza.  Another favorite that I’ve been making for years are these Korean Style Beef Tacos.

Two of my favorite cuisines are Mexican and Italian.   We probably eat Italian once a week and Mexican once a week.  We really like them both so I starting thinking about how I could combine the two into one delicious dish.

I was playing around with the idea of using salsa as a sauce for pasta when the idea hit me.   I though Mexican Stuffed Manicotti sounded good so I rolled with it.

I started with the sauce.   I use Sabra homestyle salsa but you can use any salsa that is on the smoother side.   You can even use my 5 minute restaurant style salsa in this recipe.

I made the sauce with a combination of salsa and tomato sauce.  Then I added a bit of cumin.  The sauce ended up being slightly spicy but had a lot of big tomato flavor.

Next I started on the filling.   I kept thinking ground beef with taco seasoning and cheddar cheese but then I realized I needed something to bind it all together.   Keeping with the manicotti theme, I opted for ricotta cheese.   It doesn’t have a real strong flavor so it actually took on the flavors of the taco meat.

Can I use something other than Ricotta?

I know ricotta isn’t everyone’s favorite so you can use a substitution in this recipe.   Cottage cheese is the most common substitute but you could also use cream cheese, farmer’s cheese, or queso blanco.

I made the manicotti as I would an Italian manicotti.  I stuffed it with a filling of ground beef, peppers, and onions but it was spiced with taco seasoning.  I then mixed the meat with the cheddar cheese and ricotta.

I layered it in a pan, poured the salsa sauce on top, and then sprinkled it with more cheese.   It smelled amazing as it cooked in the oven.

When it came out of the oven it looked delicious.  We actually had a friend over when I made it so I was a little nervous as this was a new creation and they don’t always turn out.  Luckily, watching my husband and his friend eat the manicotti I knew they were a winner.

It’s a surprising dish because you are definitly thinking it’s going to be Italian but then you get the spice and heat from the salsa.  Once you start chewing the taco seasoning comes through as well but it works with the manicotti noodles and ricotta cheese.

I loved using the manicotti as the shell for this Mexican entree.   It was the perfect vessel.   When all three of us reached for seconds I knew they were a hit.

How do I store leftover manicotti?

Store the leftover manicotti in an air tight container in the refrigerator.   To reheat you can place them in the microwave for a minute or reheat in the oven, covered, at 350 for 20 minutes.

Mexican Stuffed Manicotti

Manicotti stuffed with Mexican spiced ground beef and vegetables then topped off with Sabra salsa sauce for a tasty fusion cuisine.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 14 manicotti

Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

For the manicotti:

• 1 box manicotti
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cup cheddar cheese divided
• 2 jalapenos minced (optional)

For the Sauce:

• 1 homestyle salsa medium
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 3 garlic cloves minced

Instructions

• Cook the manicotti according to the package directions. Place on a sheet on foil to cool.
• Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until beef begins to brown.
• Add in the onions and peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Drain off any fat.
• Add 1/2 cup of water and taco seasoning to the pan and cook for 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, and the jalapenos. Stir in the warm meat mixture. Mix well.
• Stuff the manicotti with the meat and cheese mixture. Place manicotti back on the foil once they are stuffed.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a saucepan, combine the salsa, tomato sauce, cumin, and garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Spoon 1 cup of the sauce into a 9 x 13 pan. Arrange the manicotti in the pan, on top of the sauce, in a single row.
• Spoon the remaining sauce over top of the manicotti. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original Recipe