Manicotti – A Beautiful Mess

This manicotti recipe is one of those dinners that feels really special and indulgent but actually is pretty easy to make and requires only minimal ingredients. Manicotti shells are large pasta tubes you fill with an array of cheeses and then bake in marinara sauce. They look kind of like savory, pasta cannoli. And it ends up tasting a lot like cheese lasagna.

This manicotti recipe is vegetarian friendly. But the great thing about homemade meals is you can easily customize this to your preferences. If you want to add some meat, cook some ground beef or sausage and throw it in with the sauce before baking. You could also add more vegetables or even change up the filling based on your favorite flavors.

Related: Next up, make lasagna with no boil noodles, baked ziti or chicken alfredo.

Ingredients

Manicotti noodles
Ricotta
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Egg
Basil
Italian seasoning
Marinara sauce

Directions

Cook the manicotti noodles according to the package directions for al dente.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, 2/3 of the mozzarella, and 2/3 of the Parmesan cheese. You want to reserve some of the mozzarella and Parmesan for the top of the dish before baking. Then stir in the egg, Italian seasoning and most of the chopped basil (again, reserving some of the topping).

Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water. Using a piping bag, fill each noodle with the cheese filling.

In a rectangular baking dish, add a thin layer of marinara sauce. Then add the filled noodles. Top the noodles with the remaining marinara, cheese and basil.

Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 25-30 minutes. The sauce will be bubbling along the sides. Serve warm.

Tips for Making

You want the noodles to be slightly undercooked, as they will be easier to handle as you fill them. They will soften and cook more when baked.
Cook 1-2 more noodles than you will need, in case some get torn as you work.
If you don’t have a piping bag, a gallon ziplock bag can work as well. Just fill and cut off one of the bottom corners.

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Large pasta shells filled with cheeses and baked in marinara sauce.

Yield 6

Prep 15 minutes

Cook 25 minutes

Total 40 minutes

Instructions

Cook the manicotti noodles according to the package directions for al dente.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, 2/3 of the mozzarella, and 2/3 of the Parmesan cheese. You want to reserve some of the mozzarella and Parmesan for the top of the dish before baking.
Then stir in the egg, Italian seasoning and most of the chopped basil (again, reserving some of the topping).
Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water.
Using a piping bag, fill each noodle with the cheese filling.
In a rectangular baking dish, add a thin layer of marinara sauce. Then add the filled noodles. Top the noodles with the remaining marinara, cheese and basil.
Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 25-30 minutes. The sauce will be bubbling along the sides. Serve warm.

Notes

If you want to add some meat, cook some ground beef or sausage and throw it in with the sauce before baking.
You want the noodles to be slightly undercooked, as they will be easier to handle as you fill them. They will soften and cook more when baked.
Cook 1-2 more noodles than you will need, in case some get torn as you work.
If you don’t have a piping bag, a gallon ziplock bag can work as well. Just fill and cut off one of the bottom corners.