From My Kitchen: Crab Manicotti

4 Manicotti Noodles (cook as directed)

For Filling:
4 Cloves Garlic (I love garlic, so I would actually use more next time maybe 5-6, 4 was a pretty good balance of flavor)

3/4 Bag Spinach (diced up a bit smaller than the actual leaves)
6 oz (ish) Crab Meat
3/4 of a Small Container of Ricotta Cheese

Medium hand full Italian Cheese Blend
1 Egg
Italian Seasoning
(again, this process is hit or miss, just eyeball it till you have a "good" consistent mix)

For Topping:
Small Jar Alfredo Sauce (I was cheap and went with Ragu Light Parm. vs homemade)
Small hand full of Italian Cheese Blend

1. Saute spinach in olive oil with 2 of the 4 cloves of minced garlic (save 2 cloves of minced garlic for mixture with the filling), let cool
2. In a bowl mix all FILLING ingredients and add a little salt and pepper for good measure.
3. Fill the manicotti noodles with mixture. I'm warning you now, this process is a royal pain in the arse, you WILL destroy the noodles, split them open, etc. sauce will cover them so don't get too worried.
4. Cover with Alfredo, top with some additional cheese and bake at 375 for about 30 min. Since I only cook for two, I use foil to make my own little "baking reservoirs", just make a little rectangle and spray the bottom with a little olive oil.

The seafood twist on this Italian dish is an interesting change from the standard italian sausage and ground meat. I saw this on a menu at a restaurant in Washington last week, and regretably did not order it, so I immediatly sought out to attempt a re-creation. Based on my wife's review I think I did a fairly "decent" job on the attempt.

(Sorry for all the 3/4 a bag/container nonsense....)