By Kathryn Reed

Sometimes comfort food is what’s needed and calories should be ignore. When three types of cheeses are in a recipe you know it’s not health food.

Still, as long as this is not something you eat on a regular basis, go for it.

In the past I’ve made manicotti with spinach as the only vegetable. I liked the carrots in it because it added a slight crunch as they aren’t sautéed before being stuffed into the shells.

By using pesto it was not necessary to add garlic or basil.

As with many Italian dishes, it was even better the next day.

Vegetarian Manicotti with Pesto

1 box of manicotti noodles

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, minced

1 tsp olive oil

5 ounces fresh spinach

15 ounces ricotta cheese

1 C shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese blend

¼ C pesto

2 C mozzarella, grated

Mix of black pepper, oregano, thyme

1 jar of marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook shells according to directions.

Pour half of the marinara sauce in 9 x 13 baking dish.

In bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, pesto, spinach, carrots, onions and spices. Stuff mixture into cooked shells. Place shells into pan. Cover the shells with the rest of the marinara sauce. Then cover with mozzarella.

Bake for 30 minutes.