Pierce's Manicotti

This recipe is from my mother-in-law. She used to make this for Pierce all the time- it's his favorite!

-1 lb ground beef

-½ onion diced up

-8 ounces of mozzarella cheese

-1 carton cottage cheese

-½ cup mayonnaise

-1 Large can of spaghetti sauce (I used more, I like it saucy)

-1 pkg manicotti noodles



Brown ground beef and drain then add onions, let cool. Pour meat and onions into KitchenAid or a large bowl to mix in. Add cottage cheese, mayonnaise, and mozzarella cheese (save one cup for the top). Stir until well mixed. Stuff noodles. No need to pre-cook noodles. Pour about ½ cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9x13 glass dish. Then put stuffed manicotti’s inside. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered with foil.

EDIT:

Above is the original recipe, but I have made some modifications to this recipe that I want to share:
-1 lb ground beef
-1/2 onion, diced
-4 cups mozzarella cheese = 2 bags (2 cups inside the noodles, 2 cups on top at the end)
-1 carton cottage cheese = 1 lb
-1/2 cup mayo
-4 lbs spaghetti sauce (1 costco Prego sauce is perfect - that way you can line the pan with sauce, add sauce to the stuffing inside and pour sauce on top. It soaks into the noodles and is perfect for re-heating, it's not dry) *I've tried making it with cheaper canned sauces and it doesn't taste as well. If you have an awesome spaghetti sauce, use that!
-1 pkg manicotti noodles (about 20 noodles for this recipe)

Brown ground beef and drain then add onions, let cool. Pour meat and onions into KitchenAid or a large bowl to mix in. Add cottage cheese, mayonnaise, 2 cups (one bag) mozzarella cheese and about 1.5 cups of spaghetti sauce - add until the stuffing mixture is pink. Stir until well mixed. Pour about ½ cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9x13 glass dish (*and an 8x8 dish). Stuff un-cooked manicotti shells. Then put stuffed manicotti on top of dish with sauce. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce and top with remaining mozzarella cheese (one bag-2 cups). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered with foil.

*I bake the 9x13 and freeze the 8x8 for a later date. This recipe is great for the freezer - just heat for an hour instead of 45 minutes.

This is how I make it! Enjoy!