Manicotti, stuffed, and 2 sauces

 Manicotti with 2 sauces, shown with broccoli with the same cream sauce traditional red meat sauce & 3 cheese white sauce, sprinkled with diced bacon, served with broccoli & 3 cheese white sauce.

Red Meat Sauce
Ingredients for sauce:
1-1 1/2 pound of ground beef-preferably 15% fat
2 15- ounce cans of tomato sauce (I've made my own, but find the canned better here)
1 sweet onion diced
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp rosemary
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp dill
1 1/2 tbsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1-2 cloves fresh garlic(optional, roasted garlic added is best)
olive oil

Sauce- Start by adding some olive oil to your large saucepan, stir fry the onions until caramelized, about 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper, remove to a bowl.

Next brown the ground beef in a large saucepan, preferably not non stick, as you want the browned bits at the bottom from the beef and onions to enter the sauce. Crumble up the meat as you stir fry the burger until it is basically done. Remove the oil with a baster (optional).

Add the onions back in, the tomato sauces and the herbs. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour if possible, could be eaten in 15 minutes, but you'll get more complexity of flavor if left to simmer on low, stirring every 10 minutes of so.

White cheese sauce
1/8 cup butter
1/8 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup cheddar
a little pepper
1/2 tsp each salt, nutmeg, dill, and rosemary

Melt butter, add flour, making a rue. Add the milk in and whisk until smooth and thickens. Add the cheeses and melt until smooth, add the herbs, simmer 15 minutes at least.

Manicotti, precook the shells according to package directions, just until almost done and they will be going back in the oven. Cool, and then fill with ricotta mixture from a pastry bag.

Manicotti Filling
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1/2 Parmesan
1/4 cup Jack cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella
2 eggs
8-9 roasted garlic cloves
a little pepper
1/2 tsp each salt, nutmeg, dill, and rosemary

For best results blend all ingredients in a Cuisinart, and stirring in the ricotta and the end.  For best results, use a pastry bag to fill the ma

Place some the the meat sauce into the bottom of your baking dish. Add the filled manicottis, and cover partially with more red meat sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes covered at 350 degrees F, and then uncover, and continue to bake for an additional10 more minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, and serve on your plates, with some white sauce as well on top, sprinkle with bacon, Done.

Topper
3 slices cooked bacon chopped, and sprinkled on top at end.