i made this exactly how stated. i was expecting more. don't get me wrong it was very good, but i don't know if it is worth the extra effort making the white sauce? i loved the meat/spinach/cheese mixture, but next time i think i will just stick with red sauce and top with mozzarella. the white sauce was good, i did make as directed, so if i am in the mood for red sauce this white sauce would be good all by itself. i just don't feel by mixing the white and red together did the white justice for the extra work.

This recipes is awesome!! I'm not one to post reviews, but I had to for this recipe! I made it almost exactly as stated except for a few modifications. I added extra garlic and used ground chicken instead of the beef or sausage as others had used/suggested. I also didn't have chicken bouillon so instead I just added a bit of grated parmesan and salt to the white sauce. I used dried basil instead of fresh basil. This was a great recipe, thanks a lot!!

This is great! I did, however, change things up a bit. I used 1 pound Italian sausage in place of the ground beef, 2 1/2 cups of cottage cheese in place of the ricotta, and sprinkled shredded mozzerella cheese on top before popping it in the oven. Then once the 40 minutes was up, I uncovered it and sprinlkled the parmesan over top before putting it back in. Yummy!

FABULOUS! And though a teeny bit time-consuming it was actually a lot of fun to put together...I used 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. Italian sausage, cooked the spinach in the meat mixture toward the end of the meat's cooking time and then used cottage cheese instead of ricotta (personal preference and I'm part Italian!). Rolled mixture into the "Manicotti Shells" recipe from this site (which are actually Cannelloni shells thus making Cannelloni rather than Manicotti but it was still fabulous) and continued the rest of the recipe. Absolutely perfect, my husband is convinced I am a goddess in the kitchen! Thank you SO much for sharing this!!!

Gorgeous! I was unable to find Manicotti shells here in Australia so I used a jumbo shell instead and this worked fine. Not a great fan of beef mince so I used pork and was really happy with the result. Might try pork and Italian sausage next time and see how that turns out. Loved the white sauce although I did worry about the calorie content just a little...... Not to worry that is what we pound the pavement for! It did take time but with a glass of wine and some good music in the background I did not feel it dragged on to much. My daughter helped me stuff the shells which was fun. Impress your family and friends with this fabulous dish!

This dish is great! I will be cooking this again and again!

Fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out a hit. I will make this again.

I was told that this has become my signature dish and that I must now make it for my boyfriends entire family at Thanksgiving!! The only change I made was using hot italian sausage instead of hamburger.Excellent!

My husband and I really liked this recipe, and he gives it 5 stars, but I give it a 4, simply because I didn't think that the white sauce added anything to the dish. It wasn't that the sauce was bad, it was very good in fact, but I personally feel that the dish would've been just as good without it. That being said, I will probably make it as is again, because my husband really did like the white sauce in it!

Outstanding - you must try this one! I used sausage instead of the beef - but other than that followed the directions exactly. The white sauce was so delicious I would have it ate it like soup if I didn't have any self control! I don't know why everyone complains about it taking so long - that's the fun part to me!

Amazing. It was time consuming but worth it - every once in a while. I followed other's advice and used Italian Sausage in place of ground beef. YUM! I also made ½ the manicotti spinach free for the non-green compatible in my family. Used Prego mushroom spaghetti sauce and it was pre-seasoned so I ditched the basil at the end as over kill. I used heavy whipping cream for the cream sauce because that is what was in the frig. Not sure what this did to the taste, and trying not to think what it did to the calorie count. I did add ¼ t dried basil to the cream sauce and it seemed to have bit more flavor. Rave reviews all around.

Way beyond my expectations! I made this tonight without the meat as we have vegetarians and meat-eaters in the house. I did not want to add the eggs but was unsure how it would turn out without them. I did not add salt and I'm glad I didn't because the salt level was perfect as is. I added some mozzerella, fresh ground pepper, fresh basil, and dried oregano to spinach/cheese mixture. I also did not cook the spinach first and I added a little nutmeg to the white sauce. I will invest in a pastry bag for next time as I used a freezer bag with one corner cut off, but it was really messy and difficult. I think the hole was too big. My box of manicotti came with 14 shells...I'm not sure how other people fit all 14 into the 9x13 dish. I only got in 8 but that was perfect to feed 3 of us. Everyone had 2 plates! Super delish! Will make again, may try with the meat although I don't believe its necessary.

just loved this. made it as lasgana rolls oause couldn't find manicotti tho. mmm.

I have made this recipe 3 times. It is great and not hard to make. You can't taste the spinach. The flavors are wonderful.

This is a great recipe. I have used it several times as a meal I deliver to others. I make it up and include baking instructions. The recipe was requested every time. I have also froze extra stuffed shells and used a week later, still great. The white sauce is a must! Takes time but well worth it.

Instead of the bouillon I used a mix of cream of chicken and half and half to make a sauce and adjusted the salt to my liking. Added some fennel seeds to the ground beef for sausage flavor as I didn't have sausage and also added previously sauteed and pureed, green peppers, onion, garlic, oregano and a bit of tomato sauce to the beef.

Delish!!! Substituted hot italian sausage for beef and I didn't cook the spinach first, just defrosted in the microwave and it turned out great. Also, I used large shells instead of manicotti. Definitely a KEEPER!

This is the best recipe I have tried from this site. My biggest critic (my 2 yr old) had seconds even my 11 month old daughter gobbled it up. I used half beef and half italian sausage like others suggested and I substituted the half and half for heavy whipping cream its all I had on hand and it turned out just wonderful. I also forgot to add in the garlic and it was still amazing. Wonderful wonderful recipe. Oh yeah it is time consuming but really is well worth it. Cant wait to make this for hubby when he returns from Iraq

This was awesome...a little involved but worth it. I used jumbo shells instead of Manicotti as that is what I had on hand. I also used Italian Spiced ground turkey instead of ground beef. I will definitely make this again!