Swiss Chard & Sweet Pea Manicotti

Ingredients

Pam, for greasing the pans
1 box manicotti shells
 
Filling
1 head Swiss chard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
15 oz ricotta cheese
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves OR 2 t pesto
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Fontina 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 (have just left this out)
1 cups (4 ounces) mozzarella, shredded (this is just for topping the sauce, if you want to use less is ok)


Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a 13x9 pan OR 2 8x8 pans (I like to to do this so I have one to cook & one to freeze).

Cook & drain pasta, toss with olive oil in colander while preparing filling.


Filling: 
Remove the stems from chard & discard. Roughly chop the leaves into 1 inch pieces. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add onion & cook until soft, then add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add chard & cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove mixture from heat & allow to cool slightly. Place ricotta, peas, mozzerella, Parmesan, basil, salt/pepper into food processor, add cooled chard & blend until smooth. Spoon filling into a ziploc bag, snip the corner off, and fill shells. Place stuffed manicotti into prepared dish.

Fontina Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, bring milk & cream to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Add the fontina cheese

For the Fontina Sauce: 
In a medium 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. 

Adapted from Food Network's recipe