Cheese stuffed Manicotti! Tender manicotti shells are filled amongst an herby ricotta cheese filling, and then topped alongside a vibrant together with garlicky Lycopersicon esculentum marinara, together with to finish they’re oven baked until perfectly melty as well as delicious!
Homemade Manicotti
Manicotti is an Italian dish similar inward flavour to cheese stuffed shells or lasagna.
Large metro pasta are boiled until al dente then a filling of ricotta, mozzarella in addition to sometimes spinach is stuffed within. Usually it’sec meatless but it tin include earth beef, pork, or veal also.
The filled manicotti shells are layered into a baking dish as well as covered alongside marinara sauce. Sometimes yous’ll run across them finished amongst more cheese over the elevation, just believe it or not, I think with the super cheesy filling lone it’sec plenty without.
This mostly from scratch dish is total comfort food!
This recipe has been a family unit favorite for near twenty years! I began making these every bit a teen too haven’t stopped since.
Try them too yous’ll meet why, then much cheesy, tomatoey deliciousness inward every seize with teeth!
Manicotti Recipe Ingredients
- Dry manicotti noodles
- Ricotta Cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese
- Eggs
- Fresh parsley in addition to fresh basil
- Salt and dark pepper
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive crude
Ingredient Tips
- Use fresh grated cheeses for best results (the mozzarella together with parmesan).
- I have used dried herbs for this recipe inwards the by. They run inward a pinch simply fresh herbs will reach superior flavour.
- Every brand of crushed tomatoes has a various consistency. My get-to for this recipe has always been Contadina make crushed roma tomatoes. It isn’t really thick together with it has groovy flavor.
- Only fix manicotti to al dente, they’ll keep to fix inward the oven as well as y'all don’t want them too soft.
- To go on manicotti pasta from sticking to each other afterward draining you lot tin can spread them out onto parchment newspaper.
How to Make Manicotti Filling and Marinara Sauce
For the marinara:
- Heat olive rock oil inward a skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic and saute most 20 seconds until lightly gilt.
- Stir inwards crushed tomatoes and basil together with permit simmer, partially covered with lid while preparing pasta too filling, nearly 15 minutes.
- Note yous’ll desire to stir good earlier pouring over pasta.
For the manicotti:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions listed on packet to al dente in addition to drain.
- In a big mixing bowl, using a fork blend together ricotta cheese, eggs, parsley, a lilliputian salt too pepper.
- Stir inwards grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese too mix until good blended.
How to Stuff too Bake Manicotti
- You tin can either stuff the fourteen manicotti shells by hand merely scooping cheese mixture into shells piece holding ane paw over bottom opening to go along it from next out the reverse side. Stuff until it’sec completely full.
- Or stuff past using a piping purse. To do and then, scoop cheese filling into a large piping bag (I work amongst half the cheese filling at a fourth dimension and so the bag isn’t too full) too piping into shells. Again embrace that bottom opening then cheese doesn’t autumn out.
To Assemble inwards Baking Dish as well as Bake
- Spread 1 1/two cups sauce inward bottom of 2 xi past vii-inch baking dishes, or yous tin can function ane thirteen past ix-inch baking dish and spread amongst ii one/two cups sauce.
- Align stuffed manicotti over marinara layer inwards a unmarried layer in the 2 baking dishes (or the single 13 past ix-inch dish), so pour marinara sauce evenly over filled manicotti noodles (y'all can either embrace pasta entirely, or just comprehend amongst a row of sauce downward the middle – and so reserve remaining sauce for another role).
- Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until cooked through, near 35 to forty minutes, or until cheese has melted through to center. Serve warm.
Freezing Manicotti
- Manicotti can be frozen before or afterward baking.
- You can freeze inward the baking dish simply twine tightly alongside foil and freeze upwardly to two months.
- If freezing before baking I like to embrace solely amongst sauce.
- Thaw overnight inward the refrigerator before baking.
- Increase bake time by nearly 10 minutes since baking common cold from refrigerator.
Possible Variations
- Store-bought sauce: For a shortcut yous could role bottled marinara sauce. Use virtually one ane/ii jars. I would recommend adding a few Tbsp fresh basil to it though for more than flavor.
- Spicy: Add i tsp crimson pepper flakes to the sauce if you lot want more or less oestrus.
- Meat option: Add i lb earth beef, cooked, to the sauce (exclusively use i tin can tomatoes).
What to Serve alongside Manicotti
- Roasted broccoli or steamed broccoli
- Side salad amongst Italian dressing or pesto dressing
- Breadsticks
More Tempting Italian Recipes to Try
Manicotti
This has been one of my become-to recipes for years! Manicotti noodles are brimming amongst cheese as well as smothered amongst a simple homemade marinara sauce. A classic Italian dinner yous necessitate to attempt!
Servings: 7 (two per individual)
Ingredients
Manicotti
- i (8 oz.) pkg. Manicotti noodles
- two one/ii cups (21 oz.) Ricotta cheese (skim or whole)
- two 3/iv cups (xi oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 3/iv loving cup (three oz.) fine grated Parmesan cheese
- ii big eggs
- three Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
- 1/four tsp freshly earth black pepper
Marinara Sauce
- 1/iv cup extra virgin olive petroleum
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- two (28 oz. each) cans crushed Roma tomatoes,*
- i/3 cup chopped fresh basil, or (ane Tbsp dried)
- Salt too pepper to gustation
Instructions
Marinara Sauce
- Heat olive crude oil inward a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic as well as saute about xx seconds until lightly aureate.
- Stir inwards crushed tomatoes and basil as well as let simmer, partially covered amongst chapeau patch preparing pasta as well as filling, well-nigh fifteen minutes.
Manicotti
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente as well as drain.
- Meanwhile prepare Manicotti filling: In a large mixing bowl, using a fork blend together ricotta cheese, eggs, parsley, a niggling salt in addition to pepper.
- Stir inward grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese as well as mix until good blended.
- Divide cheese mixture evenly amidst the 14 manicotti noodles stuffing each 1 total (yous tin make this using a large pipe purse, or material past paw while agree one paw over the bottom opening of the manicotti noodle too fill up each total).
- Spread ane i/two cups sauce in bottom of 2 xi by vii-inch baking dishes, or you can purpose ane 13 by 9-inch baking dish together with spread with two 1/ii cups sauce.
- Align stuffed manicotti over marinara layer inward a unmarried layer inward the two baking dishes (or the single xiii by nine-inch dish).
- Pour marinara sauce evenly over filled manicotti noodles (you can either comprehend pasta only, or just encompass alongside a row of sauce downwards the center - so reserve remaining sauce for another function).
- Cover amongst foil as well as bake inward preheated oven until cooked through, well-nigh 35 to 40 minutes, or until cheese has melted through to centre. Serve warm.
Notes
- Note that each brand of crushed tomatoes varies quite a fleck inwards thickness. I like Contadina brand hither because it'sec thinner and so it thickens every bit it simmers. If yous starting time alongside one that's likewise thick yous may require to add some water so it'second not thick and pasty.
Nutrition Facts
Manicotti
Amount Per Serving
Calories 545
Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Trans Fat 0.004g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 12g
Cholesterol 117mg39%
Sodium 751mg33%
Potassium 594mg17%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 3gthirteen%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 1240IU25%
Vitamin C 13mg16%
Calcium 660mg66%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates solely. See full disclaimer hither.