Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing the pan
- 12 manicotti or cannelloni pasta shells
- Filling
- 1 head (about 12 ounces) red or white Swiss chard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- Fontina Fonduta Sauce
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups (6 ounces) fontina cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) mozzarella, shredded
- Special Equipment: a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (recommended: Ateco #7)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish liberally with butter.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
For the Filling:
Using kitchen scissors or a knife, remove the leaves from the stems of the chard. Discard the stems. Chop the leaves into 1-inch pieces. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the chard and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Place the ricotta cheese, peas, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cooled chard mixture and blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pastry bag and fill each manicotti shell with the filling. Place the stuffed manicotti in the prepared baking dish.
For the Fontina Fonduta Sauce:
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring milk and cream to a simmer, over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Add the fontina cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and basil.
Pour the sauce over the stuffed manicotti and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Photo: Swiss Chard and Sweet Pea Manicotti (Winter) Recipe
















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By Miss Leina
Mendon, NY
on March 23, 2013
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Very rich and delicious. A wonderful way to add swiss chard to your menu. Somewhat labor intensive, not as easy and neat as Giada prepared it. But nevertheless, well worth the work. I might even try a marinara type sauce with less cheese sauce on top next time.
By roninh78
on February 11, 2013
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OMG soooo good!!!! Great winter pasta. I had a few mishaps in the kitchen but it all turned out well. What can I say I don't have a nice prep team like Giada. She makes it look so easy and neat. But again great.
By kswillicooks
KY
on September 22, 2012
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I made this yesterday for a small dinner party to rave reviews. It is VERY rich. Two manicotti's were enough for most (one person had second's. I used more garlic and that is the only change I made. Next time I will turn it into a layered lasagna because the manicotti shells were just not worth the effort. I would also add even more chard and peas and I might consider adding an egg like another reviewer mentioned, as the filling "oozed out" quite a bit. A time consuming recipe, for sure. I made Ina Garten's homemade ricotta recipe from Food Network--wonderful! Will make again en mass and freeze (have a lot of chard and kale from garden and think kale would work well too.
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