Cottage Cheese Manicotti

"Simple to fix - the manicotti shells do not need to be precooked!"

 Tomato Sauce:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 (8 oz) cans unsalted tomato sauce
2 (16 oz) cans unsalted tomatoes
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano leaves
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

 Filling:
2 cups non-fat cottage cheese OR
1 cup non-fat cottage cheese and 1 can drained cooked spinach
3 tablespoons freshly grated non-fat cheese
2 egg whites
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Dash pepper
8 oz uncooked manicotti shells (15 pieces)
1 cup water

 Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Sauté garlic in olive oil. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes; stir in oregano and parsley.
Bring to a boil and simmer covered for a minimum of 20 minutes, up to 2 hours, stirring 
occasionally. Makes 5 cups of sauce.

Combine filling ingredients and stuff uncooked manicotti shells using a small butter 
knife or a spoon. Fill bottom of a 9"x13" casserole dish with 2 cups of tomato sauce.

Arrange stuffed manicotti shells in a single layer over sauce, side by side.

Cover shells with remaining 3 cups of sauce and pour 1 cup of water over all. 
Tightly cover dish with foil and bake for 50 minutes.

Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Makes 5-6 servings.