The Home Cook: Freezer Meals

With a new baby approaching and frankly not feeling like cooking much, I have been giving a lot more thought to meals that freeze well so when I do cook, I can freeze another meal or two for another night. I tried this recipe last night and it was enjoyed by everyone. Well it is a bit of work to assemble, I feel that making enough for several meals makes the effort worthwhile.

Canneloni

For the filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp basil
~1lb ground beef
~1 lb ground pork
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 - 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
3-4 c. ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

You will also need:
2 boxes of Manicotti or Canneloni noodles, cooked
1 bottle tomato pasta sauce (about 3 c.)
1 bottle alfredo sauce (about 2 1/2 c.)
Mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the onion, garlic, thyme and basil in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add beef and pork and cook, crumbling, until browned. Add red wine vinegar and tomatoes. Simmer until most liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and add ricotta. Salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, spread a layer of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Slit the manicotti noodles open (it is easier to fill this way) and spoon filling into noodle. Roll noodle up and place in the casserole dish. Continue filling and rolling pasta until dish is full. Pour alfredo sauce over top and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 45-55 min at 350 F or until heated through.

This recipe should make about 2 9x13 pans of canneloni.