Easy Manicotti
Make a delicious, comforting, Italian-inspired pasta dinner with this Easy Manicotti recipe. With a simple cheesy filling topped with sauce and cheese, this meal is always a hit!
A CHEESY ITALIAN RECIPE
I think Manicotti (liked stuffed shells) is one of those meals we think requires a ton of effort and so we don’t make it very often. In reality, it’s a lot easier than you think it is to make. There are some great shortcuts you can use to make it a lot faster to whip up! Plus, like most pasta dishes, it makes for great leftovers and it is a freezer friendly meal!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
The best way to fill manicotti shells is with a piping bag without a tip. Alternatively, you could fill a ziploc bag with the cheesy filling and cut a hole in one of the bottom corners to act as a piping bag. Most people don’t own piping bags so this ziploc option works perfectly and you’ll be amazed at how fast you can fill it up. If you are worried about the pasta tearing, you can squeeze a bit into one side of the manicotti than turn it around and squeeze a little more into the other side.
Spooning it in is another option, but can come with the risk of accidentally ripping the pasta.
Everything is pretty much fully cooked. You’re basically just cooking the ricotta mixture and warming up the sauce and melting the cheese on top. Bake for a minimum of 30 minutes even if the cheese has melted before then to ensure the ricotta is up to temperature. Also, make sure to cook on a middle oven rack. When cooking on the top oven rack, things can tend to burn before the center is done since heat rises and it makes the upper part of your oven hotter than the lower half.
Yes. It can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. You can also prepare it and cover it with plastic wrap then aluminum foil then put into the freezer for up to 3 months.
Manicotti, like most pasta, will get sticky as it cools. But you have to let these cool or else they will be too hot to handle. A small trick I use with the pasta is after I drain it, I leave it in the strainer and drizzle just a little bit of olive oil over them and make sure they all get very lightly coated so they don’t stick together as they cool.
Some sides that would go great with this dish are garlic bread, cheesy bread, a garden salad, minestrone soup, and so much more!
The best way to store leftovers is in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven at 350℉ or in the microwave until warm.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- Manicotti pasta– You have to buy an 8 ounce box of pasta, but you may not use the whole box. Usually there are about 14 manicotti shells in an 8 ounce box but we’re only using 12 here. I make the whole box because I usually tear one or two while filling them. Better to be safe than sorry. Also, don’t worry if you tear a few. You can still use them. The sauce and cheese will cover any mistakes.
- marinara sauce– Use your favorite brand. Aldi’s makes a good one (and it’s cheaper!), it is their Specially Selected Premium Marinara Sauce (not an affiliate link) or Rao’s Roasted Garlic is another favorite. Or, make your own homemade marinara sauce if you really want to make it all homemade.
- ricotta cheese – ricotta cheese can be substituted for small curd cottage cheese. They both work here. It’s a matter of texture and taste and your budget. Cottage cheese will sometimes be a bit cheaper than ricotta (depending on the brand, etc.)
- large egg – this acts as a binder to hold everything together.
- shredded mozzarella cheese– You can freshly shred it or buy the one pound bag of shredded mozzarella. We’re only using 3 cups of mozzarella cheese but the regular size bags only have about 2 cups in them, so you’ll need two bags. Of course, if you love a lot of cheese then you can use the whole bag!
- Parmesan – the recipe calls for shredded but you can use grated (the stuff in the green bottle if you prefer)
- garlic powder and Italian seasoning – I use garlic powder here but you can use fresh minced garlic if you prefer. I’d probably use one large clove.
HOW TO MAKE EASY MANICOTTI
Cook the manicotti by boiling it as directed on the box until al dente. Preheat the oven to 400℉. In a 9×13-inch baking dish, spread a little less than half the marinara sauce on the bottom.
While the manicotti pasta is boiling, work on the filling. in a bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese, and the Italian seasoning.
Once the pasta is done boiling, allow to cool in the strainer and drizzle just a little bit of olive oil over all the pasta so it doesn’t stick together as it cools. Once they are cool enough to handle, gently fill the pasta with the cheesy filling and place into your baking dish. This can be done very gently with a small spoon, or using a piping bag without a tip to help ensure the pasta doesn’t rip. You could also use a ziploc bag with the tip cut off and use it as a makeshift piping bag.
Once all manicotti is filled and in the dish, spoon over the rest of the marinara sauce, and sprinkle the rest of the cheeses on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until all of the cheese is completely melted and golden. Enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Easy Manicotti
Ingredients
- 8 ounce box Manicotti pasta
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce (divided use)
- 15 ounce tub ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided use)
- ½ cup shredded or grated Parmesan (divided use)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Cook 8 ounce box Manicotti pasta by boiling it as directed on the box until al dente.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish, spread a little less than half the marinara sauce on the bottom.
- While the manicotti pasta is boiling, work on the filling. in a bowl, stir together 15 ounce tub ricotta cheese, 1 large egg, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning.
- Once the manicotti is done boiling, allow to cool in the strainer and drizzle just a little bit of olive oil over all the pasta so it doesn't stick together as it cools. Once they are cool enough to handle, gently fill the pasta with the cheesy filling and place into your baking dish.
- This can be done very gently with a small spoon (so you don't break the pasta), or using a piping bag without a tip. You could also use a ziploc bag with the tip cut off and use it as a makeshift piping bag.
- Once all manicotti is filled and in the dish, spoon over the rest of the marinara sauce, and sprinkle the rest of the cheeses on top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until all of the cheese is completely melted and golden.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I haven’t made manicotti in years and needed a quick, basic recipe. This was exactly what I was looking for! It looks delicious and can’t wait to try it. I’m sure it’ll be amazing!
This was so good! Thank you so much!
Very delicious. Can’t wait to make this again.