Three Cheese Manicotti II

Original recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Three-Cheese-Manicotti-II/Detail.aspx

Yield 6 servings (2 stuffed shells each)

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package of manicotti shells
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 egg
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 (26 ounce) jars of pasta sauce

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish
3. ina bowl, mix 3 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, garlic, egg, and basil. Stuff cooked manicotti with the mixture.
4. Spread about 2 cups (one jar) pasta sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti in the dish, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remanining mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and continue baking for 10 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

My thoughts:
This is perfect for moms and busy folks because you can prepare it ahead of time and wrap it in the friend or even just cook the noodles and make the filling to get ahead. As another reviewer suggested I would recommend drying the noodles individually if you don't want them to split or they will stick together. I also added 2 food processors full of spinach to the filling and had to substitute some italian shredded cheese for a cup or so of the mozzarella I was missing. I couldn't find the wheat pasta version of these noodles, but did find a heart healthy sauce by Prego I think it was and the skim milk version of the ricotta. The less saturated fat the better! I also just used the regular basil that comes in your spice rack. To make stuffing the shells easier, i used my icing gun from Pampered chef, but a gallon freezer bag with the corner cut off will work just as easy vs spooning it all in. Enjoy!