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Manicotti

Manicotti is a classic Italian dish filled with a 3-cheese blend and full of flavor! Make this easy recipe for family dinner and serve with a salad and garlic bread for a well-rounded meal.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 460 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 10 manicotti pasta noodles (about one 8-ounce/226g package)
  • 1 (15-ounce/425g) container whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese divided (226g)
  • 1 cup grated parmesan divided (30g)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups marinara sauce (700ml/775g)
  • cooking spray

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high. Boil the pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, stir together the filling. In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, eggs, 1 cup of mozzarella, ½ cup of parmesan, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until well combined. Transfer the filling to a large ziptop bag or piping bag.
  3. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Cut a 1/2-inch hole in the corner of the bag with the ricotta filling. Stuff each manicotti with filling and arrange in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 2 cups of the marinara sauce over top of the stuffed pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of parmesan.
  4. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, about 40 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and continue cooking until the top is lightly browned, 1 to 3 minutes. Garnish with basil.

Notes

  • Salt the pasta water. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt for every 1 gallon of pasta water for the best-flavored pasta. If you skip salting the water, the dish won't ever have quite the right depth of flavor.
  • Boil extra pasta shells. Have backup pasta noodles in case a few of them break while cooking or when adding the filling. A typical box of manicotti comes with about 12 noodles, so you should have a few extra on hand.
  • Make it hearty. Add cooked Italian sausage or ground beef to the filling for a more hearty dish. Simply decrease the ricotta to 1½ cups and stir in 6 ounces of browned, crumbled Italian sausage (hot or sweet) or ground beef to the filling. Stuff the pasta with the filling and bake as directed.
  • Prepare ahead of time. For easy meal prep, prepare the manicotti recipe and store the dish unbaked and covered with aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to a few days. When you’re ready to eat it, simply bake as directed in the oven! Alternatively, freeze the unbaked manicotti in a freezer-safe container. Bake from frozen, adding 10-15 minutes to the uncovered bake time.
  • Optional variations. Finely chop fresh spinach and add to the cheese mixture filling along with the basil before stuffing the noodles. Alternatively, you can swap the basil for fresh parsley.

Nutrition Information

Calories 460kcal (23%) Carbohydrates 32g (11%) Protein 28g (56%) Fat 25g (38%) Saturated Fat 14g (70%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 0.01g Cholesterol 142mg (47%) Sodium 1579mg (66%) Potassium 593mg (17%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 1397IU (28%) Vitamin C 9mg (10%) Calcium 528mg (53%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 460

% Daily Value*

Calories 460kcal 23%
Carbohydrates 32g 11%
Protein 28g 56%
Fat 25g 38%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 142mg 47%
Sodium 1579mg 66%
Potassium 593mg 13%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 1397IU 28%
Vitamin C 9mg 10%
Calcium 528mg 53%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.