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Healthy Meals Monday: Mexican Manicotti

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1 hour 25 minutes
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Healthy Meals Monday: Mexican Manicotti

Healthy Meals Monday: Mexican Manicotti Recipe

This Healthy Twist on Manicotti will make your taste buds happy!
Serving8
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
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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

Equipment

Instructions

  1. Brown ground turkey and drain. Mix cooked ground turkey with beans and taco seasoning.
  2. 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.
  3. Lay stuffed shells into a 9 X 13 inch pan.
  4. 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.
  5. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Put back in oven until cheese is melted without the foil this time.
  6. 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
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Course: Main Course
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.

Button for My Recipes Magic

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!
Published: November 28, 2011Updated: April 24, 2024

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Questions & Reviews

  1. Becki's Whole Life says:
    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!
  2. Liesl says:
    This looks oh so yummy! Love mexican food!

    Liesl :)
  3. Kelli says:
    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!
  4. Lindsay says:
    We love that green sauce, so I bet this is pretty tasty! Thanks for sharing!
  5. Joy @ Yesterfood says:
    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! ?
  6. Robin Stepp says:
    What do you do with the other bottle of green sauce......this looks so good want to make it!!!!
  7. BrendaE says:
    Do you add the water because the shells are uncooked? I'm having a hard time imagining that runny of green chili.
  8. Cyd says:
    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.
  9. Liz says:
    Nice and easy. Thank you.
  10. Ging says:
    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
  11. Cyd says:
    Might be your computer. You do add green taco sauce to the recipe. That could add to the green coloring.
  12. Vee says:
    My husband and I truly enjoyed this.....definitely a keeper recipe! Thanks!
  13. Maria says:
    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! :-)
  14. kerry says:
    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.
  15. Lynsey says:
    Do you know what the nutritional facts would be for this recipe? Thanks
  16. Ash says:
    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.
  17. Cyd says:
    There is plenty of sauce that the shells are sitting in. They are not completely covered over.
  18. sherry says:
    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
  19. Cyd says:
    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.
  20. sherry says:
    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
  21. sherry says:
    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 ?
  22. Cyd says:
    You may want to add more if you feel like it got soaked up into the pasta. No need to boil the shells first.
  23. Cyd says:
    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.
  24. sherry says:
    when placed in the pan , should there be some space between the shells ? thanks
  25. Cyd says:
    It's ok if they are touching. You want the sauce to drizzle down between them.
  26. Kathy says:
    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.
  27. Anna says:
    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!
  28. MARGIE says:
    What if for some reason you can't find green taco sauce?
  29. Cyd says:
    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
  30. misty says:
    Can you use lasagna noodles instead?
  31. Cyd says:
    Sure, lasagna noodles should work too.
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