Each Christmas and ONLY on Christmas I make manicotti as Christmas dinner for the family. It has become a tradition and known as Manicotti D'Amelio. I begin with making some meatballs. I use lean chopmeat, mixed with one egg, a few shakes of oregano and basil, several shakes of parmesan cheese and enough bread crumbs so that the meat is not sticky. I roll my meatballs fairly small, but you can make larger ones if thats what you lile.
Pour some olive oil in a frying pan to cover the bottom of the pan. Fry slices of onion and about 6 cloves of garlic until browned. Remove from pan. Then add meatballs, turning till browned and totally cooked. Remove from pan. Add two small cans of tomato paste and two cans of water (slowly). Add a few shakes of basil, salt and pepper and let simmer for a 1/2 hour.
Puree two large cans of whole tomatos in blender and then add to pan with tomato paste. Add a few shakes of garlic powder, oregano and basil. Let simmer for a few hours.
Boil water and add manicotti shells a few at a time, until they are semi cooked (a little harder than al dente style). Only boil a few at a time. If you boil too many they tend to start sticking together or tearing. When the whole box has been boiled, mix a large container of manicotti, half a bag of shredded mozarella cheese and a few large shakes of parmesan. Fill each shell with manicotti mixture. I use a "cookie gun" and shoot it in. Makes it very easy.
In a large glass baking dish, cover with some of the sauce, and add filled manicotti shells. When bottom is covered, cover the shells with sauce and add another layer. Then put sauce on top and bake in a 350 degree over for about a half hour. Add mozarella cheese on top and bake till melted. Serve with garlic bread and salad. Enjoy
