I was undecided on what to fix for supper. I was teetering between mexican and italian so I decided to experiment and this is what I came up with. I must say….I did good!
-I have made this a bunch of times and with a variety of meat/bean combinations as well as using giant shell pasta instead of manicotti, and once I spread the filling over dry lasagna noodles. It has never once failed me. I do find that I have extra filling because for me, it fills more than the 14 shells that come in a package. But that might also be because I don’t necessarily weigh my ground meat. The only time it was on the dry side was when I used ground chicken breast instead of ground beef. But even then, it was reasonably low fat (before adding the sour cream and shredded cheese, of course) and we usually eat it with tortilla chips on the side and I rarely add the olives.
One reader mentioned serving it over rice. I can’t think why you would do that, but to each, his own. Great recipe and I actually just made the shells today and stuffed 2 packages of Manicotti noodles and just stashed them in the freezer to pull out when I want a nice meal but don’t want to take a lot of time assembling. This recipe is a keeper, and for me, it makes a 9X13 glass baking dish…. a little crowded, but if you get creative, you can get them all to fit.
-Laura, this recipe sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to make it!
As an aside, I think I have to side with Saundra regarding the negative comments. Although the one negative review I seen of this recipe did seem to a little harsh by calling it awful, it is important that this collection of people sharing their love of cooking be able to honestly express their impressions of a dish.
There have been dishes on this site that look really good, and their reviews say things like, “It looks great, can’t wait to try it!” Then no real feedback is received so when people like me see that and try it and don’t like it I think, “Wow, I really wish that people who said all those things came back and said how the dish really was so I might not have wasted my time and money making it.”
Laura, you handled it well with grace and dignity. Kudos to you.
I just think it would be more beneficial to all readers if people can put their honest feedback in their review (after all, it is a review) without being ostracized from the collective. Saying that, we all have feelings so if you’re going to leave a negative review or comment, be nice about it and think how you’d feel if the tables were turned.
