Hello! This is a delish recipe. I add meat because my husband loves meat and I am a people pleaser when it comes to food. I'll just settle for not my style stuff in order to please others. Don't get me wrong, I do whatever I can to please myself, just not when I'M cooking. he he!! Anyways...my point is that this recipe is really good with or without meat. I personally like it better without and my husband personally likes it better WITH. So there you have it and I'm sure you'll figure out which category you fit in for yourself! WARNING: My pictures of this are HORRIBLE. It just doesn't look like something I'd run and cook. But hey, it's better than NO pictures! 
12 large manicotti shells
4 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups ricotta cheese (I use cottage cheese instead)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 2 tablespoons dried basil (I use pampered chef italian seasoning mix - this stuff is amazing!!!! I use it in everything italian I make and it makes it so much more wonderful! - a must try!)
1 jar (26 ounces) prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1. preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cook spray.
2. cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels. (I put mine out on wax paper).
3. For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella cheese with the ricotta cheese and basil. Using a teaspoon (or your hand) carefully stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture. (careful is so true as these little buggers fall apart SOO easily).
4. Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta shells over sauce. I like to pour the spaghetti sauce before (duh) I stuff the shells so I have a place to put them stuffed. Pour remaining sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
5. Bake 15 minutes, add parmesan and then return to cook 10 additional minutes. Serve immediately ( as opposed to? )
Sorry for the sarcasm throughout, I just think it's funny how recipes are written as if they are speaking to a 3 year old child. And they throw in meaningless details like serve immediately, or "cold" half and half. I might be losing MY own mind, but isn't it pretty much rotten at the point that it's not cold anymore!?!? Ha ha! So that's where my (duh) comes in!
Let me know if you likey!
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