This four-cheese manicotti recipe can be on the table in less than an hour! It’s an easy (and vegetarian) weeknight dinner that strikes the perfect balance between cheesy and saucy. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy, velvety filling (thanks to my favorite secret ingredient!). This sets my recipe apart from the rest, and I promise you won’t want to make your manicotti any other way after you try mine!
- Finishes in less than an hour! Makes for a perfect weeknight dinner or indulgent weekend treat.
- Easy to make, especially if you use a piping bag to fill your noodles (highly recommended!). There is no chopping or sautéing here either!
- Vegetarian and makes a great Lenten dinner (psst, so do my cajun shrimp pasta and vegetable soup!). I do include options for adding meat to the filling or topping with meat sauce, if that’s what you prefer.
My manicotti recipe is perfect for cold winter nights or days when you just need some comfort food. It’s satisfying, perfectly saucy and oh so cheesy. If you’ve tried my stuffed shells or lasagna, you’ll notice this recipe is very similar; a classic with my own twist!
My family especially loves this recipe during the cold weather months, but honestly, it’s a favorite year-round. I can’t wait for you to try it!
What You Need
Let’s briefly review the key ingredients we’ll be using today, just in case you have questions. If you’re ready to get started, keep scrolling!
- Manicotti. You’ll need one 8 ounce box. Amazon has brown rice manicotti, if you have gluten-free eaters in your house!
- Ricotta. A 24-oz container of ricotta is the sweet spot, as 15/16 ounces isn’t enough and 32 ounces is way too much. However, if you plan on bulking up your filling with spinach or meat (instructions below), you could probably get away with using only 15 ounces. If you can’t find a 24-oz container, you’ll just buy a larger one and measure out 3 cups.
- Cream cheese. My secret ingredient! I love adding cream cheese to the filling here (just like in my stuffed shells and lasagna!) for extra creaminess and richness. It creates a velvety texture and adds depth of flavor without making the filling taste like cream cheese. Trust me on this!
- Spices. Including classic Italian favorites like dried oregano and basil. We’ll also add black pepper, fresh parsley, and fresh minced garlic as well.
- Marinara. I like using my homemade marinara sauce, but store-bought will work just fine too. Or you can switch things up and use vodka sauce, arrabiata sauce, or meat sauce!
SAM’S TIP: While not totally necessary with this recipe, I do typically recommend shredding/grating your own cheese if you have time. Freshly shredded cheeses melt and stretch nicer than pre-shredded cheeses that are coated in anti-caking agents. This is a must when making my baked mac and cheese recipe!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Manicotti
- Boil your pasta in salted water to just shy of al dente (typically a minute less than instructed on the package), then drain and rinse under cold water. I know rinsing pasta is typically a big no-no, but this is more important in recipes where the pasta will be coated in sauce (think fettuccine Alfredo or beef ragu). Here, it’s more important that we quickly stop the cooking process so our noodles aren’t too soft (otherwise they’ll fall apart in the oven).
- Make the filling by mixing all ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to a piping bag or large Ziploc bag with one corner snipped (optional, but recommended for the easiest filling!) and set aside. Evenly spread 1 cup of your marinara into the bottom of your baking dish.
- Fill each manicotti with filling, the place in your prepared baking dish. You might need to get a little creative so that they fit in an even layer! Cover with the rest of your marinara, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella overtop.
- Cover and bake. First bake with foil covering the dish (this helps keep it from drying out) then remove the foil and bake again until the cheese is melty and the dish is warmed through (usually 10 minutes longer).
SAM’S TIP: I always tent my foil a bit to keep it from touching the food, but just to be safe you should also lightly grease the foil to keep it from sticking to the cheese in case it touches (in which case it’ll stick — a tragedy!). I just use a bit of butter or oil and place the foil greased-side down!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! I recommend using 10 ounces of thawed frozen spinach. Make sure you dry it very well before stirring it into the filling. NOTE: you can reduce the ricotta to 15 ounces if you add spinach, otherwise you’ll have leftover filling.
Yes, in fact this dish freezes quite well, both before and after baking. I provide detailed instructions for both in the recipe notes below. Note that it helps to add a bit of extra sauce to your dish if you plan to freeze any leftovers, since manicotti can dry out when reheating.
If you’d like to up the protein in this dish, add a side of meatballs or Italian sausage!
Enjoy!
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Manicotti
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 584kcal
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375F (190C). You will need a 13×9 casserole dish or similar sized dish for this recipe.
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Cook pasta according to package instructions in well-salted water except reduce cooking time by 1 minute (I cook my manicotti shells for 6 minutes). Immediately drain and rinse well under cold water to stop the cooking process.
8 oz (226 g) manicotti shells
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In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, parmesan, egg, pressed garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and stir until thoroughly combined.
24 oz (680 g) whole milk ricotta, 1 cup (113 g) shredded mozzarella cheese, 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, ½ cup (30 g) grated parmesan cheese, 1 large egg, 2 garlic cloves, 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Transfer the filling to a large piping bag (this is ideal, but if you don’t have one a large ziploc bag with a small corner snipped or even a spoon will do the job).
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Layer 1 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish.
2 cups (525 g) marinara sauce
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Snip a hole in the end of the piping bag and pipe filling evenly into each manicotti.
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Arrange manicotti in baking dish and cover with another cup of marinara sauce.
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Top with mozzarella cheese. Lightly grease a piece of aluminum foil with butter or oil and cover the dish (greased side down!).
1 cup (113 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
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Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, then carefully remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melty and mixture is bubbly (about 10 minutes longer).
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Remove from oven and serve warm, topped with fresh parsley or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Additional fresh parsley or parmesan for garnish
Notes
Spinach
Spinach is a nice addition and a good way to add some veggies to this dish. To add, reduce the ricotta to 15 oz. Thaw and dry well 10 oz of frozen spinach and stir this into the filling.
Meat
You can cook 1 lb of ground beef or sausage, drain well and cool slightly and then stir this into the cheese mixture for a meat manicotti, just know you will likely have leftover filling
Storing
Store tightly covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or place in oven safe dish, cover with foil and heat in 350F (175C) oven and bake until warmed through (time depends on how much you are reheating, typically 10-20 minutes).
Freezing
Manicotti freezes well, and you can freeze before or after baking for up to 3 months. Cover tightly (I cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil) and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then follow baking instructions in the recipe (may take longer since it is baked from cold or if manicotti is not completely thawed, but check at 30 minutes). TIP: Adding a bit of extra marinara helps keep reheated manicotti from drying out!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 1130mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1650IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 551mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.