Healthy Meals Monday: Mexican Manicotti

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Published: November 28, 2011Updated: March 15, 2021Author: Kristen Hills
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Healthy Meals Monday: Mexican Manicotti
Serves: 8

Healthy Meals Monday: Mexican Manicotti Recipe

This Healthy Twist on Manicotti will make your taste buds happy!
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 25 mins
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 16 ounces fat free refried beans 1 can, (We used green chile and lime)
  • 1.5 ounces taco seasoning mix
  • 16 ounces whole wheat manicotti shells uncooked
  • 12 ounces green taco sauce 1 bottle
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 3 green onions diced
  • 6 ounces sliced olives 1 can
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce

Instructions

  • Brown ground turkey and drain. Mix cooked ground turkey with beans and taco seasoning.
  • Stuff mixture into uncooked shells. I use a plastic baggie with a cut corner. Then squeeze the mixture in both sides of the Manicotti shell. You could also spoon it in on each side with a very small spoon that will fit into the Manicotti shell.
  • Lay stuffed shells into a 9 X 13 inch pan.
  • Mix the green taco sauce with about 3/4 bottle of water. (Use the bottle the sauce came in.) Pour sauce over Manicotti, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
  • Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Put back in oven until cheese is melted without the foil this time.
  • Garnish with green onions, olives, tomatoes, and chopped lettuce.

Notes

  • We like to serve this with a green salad and garlic bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 431 kcal · Carbohydrates: 57 g · Protein: 27 g · Fat: 10 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 44 mg · Sodium: 1524 mg · Potassium: 499 mg · Fiber: 6 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 1348 IU · Vitamin C: 9 mg · Calcium: 144 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Equipment

  • pan
  • Ziploc Bag
  • 9x13 Inch Baking Dish
  • Aluminum Foil

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican


This is the green sauce I use- I love it!
Brown ground turkey and drain. Mix cooked ground turkey with beans and taco seasoning.
Stuff mixture into uncooked shells. I use a plastic baggie with a cut corner. Then squeeze the mixture in both sides of the manicotti shell.  You could also spoon it in on each side with a very small spoon that will fit into the manicotti shell.
Lay stuffed shells into a 9X13 pan. Mix the green taco sauce with about 3/4  bottle of water. (Use the bottle  the sauce came in.) Pour sauce over manicotti, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Put back in oven until cheese is melted without the foil this time.
Garnish with green onions, olives, tomatoes, and cut lettuce.
Happy Cooking!

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  1. Becki's Whole Life says:
    November 28, 2011
    I love this. Ever since my second child I have craved Mexican food. Love to see healthy recipes that still have a ton of flavor like this does!
    Reply
  2. Liesl says:
    November 28, 2011
    This looks oh so yummy! Love mexican food!

    Liesl :)
    Reply
  3. Kelli says:
    November 28, 2011
    Oh wow, I will for sure have to try this. I LOVE Mexican food.. esp. green sauce.. I have a wonderful green sauce recipe for enchiladas but this looks much easier!
    Reply
  4. Lindsay says:
    November 28, 2011
    We love that green sauce, so I bet this is pretty tasty! Thanks for sharing!
    Reply
  5. Joy @ Yesterfood says:
    January 17, 2014
    Thank you so much for sharing this at Treasure Box Tuesday! it's just so pretty and fresh looking- I love all the colors! I also like that you used ground turkey- perfect healthier touch! PINNED! ?
    Reply
  6. Robin Stepp says:
    February 10, 2014
    What do you do with the other bottle of green sauce......this looks so good want to make it!!!!
    Reply
  7. BrendaE says:
    February 10, 2014
    Do you add the water because the shells are uncooked? I'm having a hard time imagining that runny of green chili.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 18, 2014
      I like this the best using a 12 ounce bottle of green taco sauce and using about 3/4 bottle of water. You do need the liquid to soften the shells since they are uncooked. We have even prepared this in the morning and left it in the fridge all day. Then cooked it at dinner time. Just sitting in the liquid all day also softens the shells. Hope this helps.
      Reply
  8. Liz says:
    March 17, 2014
    Nice and easy. Thank you.
    Reply
  9. Ging says:
    March 17, 2014
    I was wondering. If you only mix the seasoned ground turkey and beans together why does your meat mixture look green. Did i miss something or is it just the way my comp is showing it? This sounds so good though and i want to try it this Saturday. We're trying to eat healthier so i thank you for posting this. We love mexican foods
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      March 18, 2014
      Might be your computer. You do add green taco sauce to the recipe. That could add to the green coloring.
      Reply
  10. Vee says:
    April 8, 2014
    My husband and I truly enjoyed this.....definitely a keeper recipe! Thanks!
    Reply
  11. Maria says:
    April 11, 2014
    Can I just say my picky 10 year old basically licked her plate clean! Made them in the morning before work and had hubby throw them in the over. Super easy to throw together and delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipe! :-)
    Reply
  12. kerry says:
    September 14, 2014
    In the oven now. There is a lot of sauce! I hope the cooking process thickens out up a lot! The filling tastes really good. I can't wait for the finished product.
    Reply
  13. Lynsey says:
    December 29, 2014
    Do you know what the nutritional facts would be for this recipe? Thanks
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      January 1, 2015
      Hi Lynsey, just click on the MAGIC button under the picture in the post. Then click on NUTRITION. It will give you all the nutritional info on this recipe. Hope this helps!
      Reply
  14. Ash says:
    January 27, 2015
    I am having a tough time with this one. Should the shells be saturated in the sauce? Will it thicken upon cooking? I've got the dish in the oven now, but must admit I am worried about the final outcome.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 11, 2015
      There is plenty of sauce that the shells are sitting in. They are not completely covered over.
      Reply
  15. sherry says:
    May 18, 2015
    i love your site !!!!! can this be made ahead of time and frozen ? can it be made one or two days ahead of time and not frozen ? AND i saw a recipe that called for uncooked beef , bake one hour ect , everything i make i cook the meat first , what are your thoughts on that ? thanks
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      May 21, 2015
      Pasta in a freezer meal is a little tricky. It often goes mushy after thawing. You could undercook the pasta by about 4 minutes and see if that helps. We have a baked ziti freezer meal and that is how we handle the pasta for that recipe. Hope this helps a little. I wouldn't leave it in the fridge for that many days and not cook it, the pasta could go mushy that way too. We have some slow cooker recipes where we put the raw meat in and then some have cooked meat. Just depends on the recipe. For this Mexian Manicotti you will want to cook your meat first. Hope this helps!! Have a great weekend.
      Reply
      • sherry says:
        July 16, 2015
        does the pan need to be sprayed with pam ? can this be prepared a day ahead , than popped in the oven next night ? if so , should i wait to put the green sauce on when i'm ready to put it in the oven ? thanks
        Reply
        • Cyd says:
          July 23, 2015
          Yes, spray the pan to be safe. Put some of the sauce on so it can soak up the flavor. Then add some more before cooking.
          Reply
  16. sherry says:
    July 16, 2015
    sorry , got another question . the shells will really be cooked , no need to boil them first ? when i make it a day ahead of time, should i put more sauce on it before it goes in the oven after sitting all night in the green sauce ?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      July 23, 2015
      You may want to add more if you feel like it got soaked up into the pasta. No need to boil the shells first.
      Reply
  17. sherry says:
    July 27, 2015
    when placed in the pan , should there be some space between the shells ? thanks
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      August 3, 2015
      It's ok if they are touching. You want the sauce to drizzle down between them.
      Reply
  18. Kathy says:
    August 9, 2015
    I've made this for years but instead of manicotti shells, I use egg roll wrappers. Much lower in calories and delicious. I've made the rolls and frozen them and add the sauce before baking. Always a hit. This sauce is different from mine and I can't wait to try it. Sounds great.
    Reply
  19. Anna says:
    March 11, 2017
    Made these last night and they were a hit. I made half with the green taco sauce and half with red enchilada sauce. Both were delicious! Thanks for the great and easy recipe!
    Reply
  20. MARGIE says:
    April 9, 2019
    What if for some reason you can't find green taco sauce?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      April 10, 2019
      Green Taco sauce is in most grocery stores. Here is a recipe if you want to make your own. https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/salsa/salsa-verde-green-taco-sauce.html
      Reply
  21. misty says:
    April 19, 2020
    Can you use lasagna noodles instead?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      April 24, 2020
      Sure, lasagna noodles should work too.
      Reply
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