Freezer Meal – Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

I love a freezer meal that doesn’t feel like a quick, cheap meal. For some reason, when I make this meal it seems a bit more sophisticated than some of the other freezer meals I make. I’ll even go so far as to say it tastes more sophisticated. Which is to say it tastes awesome. Holy taste buds explosion!

Ingredients

1 lb shredded chicken {I use  Zaycon chicken and shred it like THIS}
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 {24 oz} jar of spaghetti sauce or 3 1/2 cups homemade tomato sauce
2 cups cooked spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 {1 lb} tub cottage cheese {you could use ricotta if you’d rather}
2 tbsp parsley
9 manicotti noodles, cooked then placed in cold water to cool
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese {I sometimes bump this up to 2 cups}

Directions

In large skillet, mix onions, salt and garlic powder {I add a dash of olive oil} and cook until onions are translucent.  Set aside to cool.  Combine spinach, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley in a separate bowl. Mix until combined and then add onions and chicken.

Next up, you’ll stuff the shells. I try to divide my chicken mixture out into 9 parts in the bowl to get a feel for how much should go into each shell. Then I gently stuff each shell and place into the bottom of a disposable 9×13 pan {I always coat the bottom of my pan with a bit of spaghetti sauce to keep the noodles from sticking}. Once all 9 shells are stuffed and arranged, pour sauce over shells and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Recipe makes one freezer meal.

To Cook: Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through.
To Freeze: Cover with foil and place pan on a cookie sheet so it freezes flat. When ready to use cook from frozen for 60 -75 minutes at 350 degrees.

Looking for more easy freezer meal ideas? See the full list of freezer meals HERE. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Roadside Sliders Recipe
• Easy Freezer Meal Meatballs
• Peach Crisp Recipe
• Cilantro Lime Chicken
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Chicken Casserole with Mashed Potato Topping

Links to freezer pans I commonly use:

• Aluminum Foil Pan Containers with Lids 8.5″ x 6″ x 3″ 
• Aluminum Foil Deep Pans 9″ x 13″
• Round 9 Inch  Aluminum Foil Pans with lids 

Find More of My Freezer Meal Recipes