Are you craving a delicious and comforting Italian meal without spending hours in the kitchen? Look no further than simple manicotti! This classic pasta dish combines tender manicotti shells with a savory filling, all smothered in a rich and flavorful sauce. With its delightful combination of textures and flavors, manicotti is a surefire hit that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you wanting more. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner looking to impress, this beginner-friendly recipe will guide you through the process of creating a memorable and satisfying meal that your loved ones will cherish.
Here are our top 8 tried and tested recipes!
MANICOTTI
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 1h15m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- If using fresh spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt. Boil the spinach until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (keep the water in the pot boiling), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop. Set aside.
- In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the manicotti shells according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and pat dry.
- Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the grated cheese and mix until evenly combined. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the nutmeg and pepper. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining 2 cups sauce. Scatter the remaining 2/3 cup grated cheese on top and dot with the butter.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and season with pepper to taste. Use right away, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Yield: 3 1/2 cups
- Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
EASY MANICOTTI
No cooking the manicotti, so that's the easy part. Sometimes I will add some frozen chopped spinach, cooked and squeezed dry. A real easy meal!
Provided by HEP MEP
Categories Manicotti
Time 1h5m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Combine Ricotta, Mozzarella, grated Parmesan, sugar, egg, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
- Stuff uncooked manicotti generously with the cheese mixture, from both ends.
- Arrange manicotti in a single layer in a baking pan.
- Bring sauce to a boil and pour over manicotti, covering completely.
- Cover baking pan with aluminum foil, crimping the edges to seal tightly.
- Bake in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove foil; sprinkle generously with additional grated cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 5 minutes more.
MANICOTTI
Provided by Rachael Ray : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the manicotti until shy of al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool to handle.
- For the sauce: Place in a food processor the canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, sugar, basil, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper to taste and the EVOO. Blend until smooth, and then place the sauce in a pot. Stir together with the passata or tomato sauce and simmer 20 minutes.
- Pour half of the sauce into large baking dish.
- For the filling: Mix together in a large bowl the spinach, ricotta, half the Parm, salt and pepper to taste and a little nutmeg. Taste to adjust seasonings before adding the eggs. Once the eggs are incorporated, spoon the filling into a large plastic food storage bag and trim the corner. Pipe the filling into the manicotti and put in the baking dish. Cover the casserole with the remaining sauce, Parm and mozzarella. Cover and store for a make-ahead meal.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and bake until brown and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes.
MANICOTTI
Delicious! Serve with a crispy salad and garlic bread, and you'll have a dish your family will love! The kids like to help stuff the noodles too!
Provided by Anny
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 1h15m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Cook manicotti in boiling water until done. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, and salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Pour 1/2 cup sauce into an 11x17 inch baking dish. Fill each manicotti shell with 3 tablespoons cheese mixture, and arrange over sauce . Pour remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 676.3 calories, Carbohydrate 53.2 g, Cholesterol 188.8 mg, Fat 30.9 g, Fiber 4.3 g, Protein 46 g, SaturatedFat 17.1 g, Sodium 1254.7 mg, Sugar 12.6 g
EASY CHEESY MANICOTTI
Cut prep time by stuffing uncooked manicotti shells with a comforting cheese and spinach filling.
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Entree
Time 1h45m
Yield 7
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish, spread about one-third of the pasta sauce.
- Mix spinach, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano and pepper. Fill uncooked manicotti shells with spinach mixture; place on sauce in baking dish.
- In medium bowl, mix remaining pasta sauce and water. Pour sauce mixture evenly over shells, covering completely. Cover; bake 1 hour. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until shells are tender.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 440, Carbohydrate 52 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Fiber 5 g, Protein 25 g, SaturatedFat 7 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 1000 mg, Sugar 13 g, TransFat 0 g
EASY, STUFFED MANICOTTI
This is so simple and easy. You do NOT have to boil the shells or cook the meat ahead of time(you dont pre-cook your meat for meat loaf, do ya?) It all cooks perfectly together in the oven.
Provided by wynde
Categories Manicotti
Time 1h20m
Yield 6-8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Spread 2 tblsps of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
- Combine first 8 ingredients together in a bowl.
- Take shells and stuff with the meat mixture.(I find it easier to use pastry bags filled with the meat mixture to stuff the shells or you can cut the end of a sandwich baggie and stuff them that way. Less messy and much faster.).
- Place shells in pan and pour remaining sauce of shells.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and top with mozzeralla cheese. Return to oven and bake and additional 15 minutes.
- Remove and enjoy.
- Goes wonderfully with a tossed salad and garlic bread.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1164, Fat 66.5, SaturatedFat 30.5, Cholesterol 237.7, Sodium 1806.9, Carbohydrate 73.6, Fiber 3, Sugar 10.2, Protein 64.7
EASY-TO-STUFF MANICOTTI
It's so easy to make my simplified version of manicotti. I fill each pasta shell with a piece of string cheese for a deliciously gooey center, then I top the shells with a beefy tomato sauce. -Suzanne Runtz, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 50m
Yield 7 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Cook manicotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Spread half of the meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Drain manicotti; stuff each shell with a piece of string cheese. Place over meat sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake at 350° until heated through, 25-30 minutes. , Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted, 5-10 minutes longer.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 558 calories, Fat 29g fat (14g saturated fat), Cholesterol 93mg cholesterol, Sodium 1059mg sodium, Carbohydrate 36g carbohydrate (10g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 42g protein.
EASY BAKED MANICOTTI
Italian restaurants ain't got nothin' on your kitchen. Rich, homemade stuffed manicotti is easier than it looks. Our video walks you through the manicotti recipe...so prepare for compliments to the chef!
Provided by My Food and Family
Categories Home
Time 55m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Spread 3/4 cup pasta sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
- Mix egg, pesto sauce and cheeses until blended; spoon into resealable plastic bag. Use scissors to cut small corner from bottom of bag.
- Fill manicotti shells by squeezing cheese mixture into both sides of each shell; place in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining pasta sauce; cover.
- Bake 40 min. or until heated through.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 520, Fat 24 g, SaturatedFat 12 g, TransFat 1 g, Cholesterol 90 mg, Sodium 870 mg, Carbohydrate 0 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 0 g, Protein 26 g
Tips for Making Manicotti:
- Use high-quality ingredients: Fresh, flavorful ingredients will make a big difference in the taste of your manicotti.
- Don't overcook the pasta shells: They should be cooked al dente, or slightly firm to the bite.
- Let the manicotti cool slightly before serving: This will help them to hold their shape and prevent the cheese from oozing out.
- Serve the manicotti with your favorite sauce: Marinara, Alfredo, or pesto are all great options.
Conclusion:
Manicotti is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It's perfect for a special occasion or a weeknight meal. With a little planning and effort, you can make manicotti that will impress your family and friends. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try today!
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