How to stuff a wild manicotti: Put filling in a plastic bag, clip, squeeze

Pat Hoffmeister of Coppell, Texas, had a problem with her pasta.

"Do you know an easy way to stuff manicotti?" she asked. "I'm always splitting them when I try."

To try and help Pat, we posted her question on our website, and Elise Legaspi of Oxnard, Calif., came swooping in with a terrific answer.

"I put the filling in a gallon-size, zip-top plastic bag," Elise said. "I snip off one of the corners and squeeze away."

Fill one side of the manicotti shell, Elise continued, and then turn it around and fill the other side.

"This works like a charm for lots of things like deviled eggs and cream puffs," she said.

(You can also use a quart-size bag for a smaller recipe, like the one today.)

Thanks so much to Elise for her great tips and also to Alicia, who created today's Spinach Manicotti for you to try. If you have a cooking question and would like help from Kitchen Scoop readers, just e-mail us at tellus@KitchenScoop.com.

Suggested menu: Spinach Manicotti with fruit salad and breadsticks.

• Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross are co-authors of the "Desperation Dinners!" cookbook series and column. Write them at Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, or tellus@kitchenscoop.com. More at kitchenscoop.com.