Black Bean Manicotti Frita - bacon

Method

• Lets start with our bacon.
• Dice it and saute it in a skillet over medium heat until it gets crispy.
• Directly into the skillet with the bacon, toss in the onions and garlic.
• Lower the heat a bit and slowly cook or sweat the onions until soft.
• Usually this takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat and let it cool.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil then cook manicotti pasta according to package instructions.
• When it is done, drain it and place the pasta in a single layer on a greased dish.
• Thoroughly drain and rinse the cans of black beans, removing all the preservatives from the canning process.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the beans in a small dish and put the rest into a blender or food processor.
• Pulse the black beans with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a blender, until it forms a smooth paste then transfer it to a mixing bowl.
• Note that I kept about 1/2 cup of black bean whole, as it adds an extra bite to the dish.
• Just stir the whole black beans into the mixing bowl with the black bean paste.
• Stir the mascarpone cheese and cooled onion mixture into the mixing bowl with the black beans.
• Taste and season with salt if needed.
• Spoon the mixture to a Ziplock bag or piping bag with a tip.
• I like to heat up my skillet while I pipe the filling into my manicotti pasta, so heat the skillet over medium heat.
• You can definitely use the same skillet you used for the onions and bacon mixture.
• It probably will still have some bacon yumminess on it.
• Add the remaining olive oil into the skillet.
• If you are using a Ziplock bag for piping, cut a small slit in one of the bottom corners.
• Pipe the filling into the manicotti shells, and directly place them in the skillet.
• Flip the manicotti shells when one side is golden brown, and allow the other side to brown.
• They will be done when both sides are golden brown and crispy!
• Dish up the manicoti, garnish with Parmesan cheese, and serve with your favorite marinara sauce.