The Best Manicotti Recipe

This truly is the best Manicotti recipe because it’s so easy to make, and the whole family will love it. It’s like lasagna without the meat, which may be frustrating to meat lovers. But even so, everyone in our family loves this casserole!

It’s made with pasta, spaghetti sauce, Ricotta cheese, and Mozzarella Cheese. However, any combination of cheese will work. You can use cheddar, Parmesan, Mozzarella, and spicy Jack cheese. This is why I love this recipe! With all the cheese options, it probably should be called a cheese manicotti recipe.

Items You May Need In the Kitchen

• 8-Quart Soup Pot
• Colander
• Measuring Spoons
• Pastry Tube (optional)
• 9×13 Baking Dish
• Aluminum Foil

Manicotti Recipe Ingredients

• Manicotti Shells: A pasta shaped like a tube, generally made from flour, water, and eggs.
• Mozzarella Cheese: A white, semi-soft, and mild-tasting cheese.
• One Egg: The egg binds the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses together, making it easier to stuff the filling into the manicotti pasta. It also helps the filling stay together while cooking so that it doesn’t fall apart.
• Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese: A soft, mild-tasting cheese made from whey. It has a slightly sweet flavor and a creamy texture.
• Salt: Salt is used to help enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
• Pepper: Pepper adds flavor and helps bring all other flavors together.
• Parsley: Parsley has a delicious, slightly bitter taste that contrasts nicely with other flavors. It enhances the different flavors of the recipe.
• Spaghetti Sauce: Using a spaghetti sauce that you and your family love is essential! Whether a homemade spaghetti tomato sauce or from a jar, use one that you feel the taste will combine well with the mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. I used a marinara sauce from my local Harmon’s grocery store, and it was perfect!

Manicotti Instructions

Step One: Gather the Ingredients – Preheat the Oven

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).

Step Two: Bring Water to a Boil

Bring water to a rolling boil in an 8-quart soup pot. (Use the amount of water according to your pasta instructions.) Add salt to the water.

Step Three: Boil Pasta – Drain – Rinse with Cool Water

Boil your pasta in the large pot of salted water according to the directions on the box. Drain and rinse with cool water.

Step Four: Mix Cheeses with Egg, Salt, Pepper, and Parsley

Combine the Mozzarella cheese, egg, Ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley in a large bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly.

Ready To Fill Manicotti

Step Five: Grease the 9×13 Dish – Pour Some Spaghetti Sauce into the Dish

Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish and pour some of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of the greased dish. Save the remaining sauce to pour on top of the casserole before you bake it.

Step Six: Prepare Pasta to be Filled with Cheese Mixture

Place your pasta so you can fill it with the silicone pastry tube. Fold back the silicone pastry bag and scoop some of the contents into the bag.

Step Seven: Use a Silicone Pastry Bag to Fill Manicotti Pasta

This silicone pastry bag doesn’t need a tip and is so easy to wash. I love it. It’s nice to have something to fill each Manicotti piece easily.

Step Eight: Place Each Filled Manicotti Pasta in the Dish – Cover with Sauce

Continue filling all the Manicotti noodles and evenly placing them in a single layer in your dish. If you have some pasta left over, add it and cover it with the sauce.

Step Nine: Cover with Foil – Bake at 350°F for 40-50 Mins

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F (176°C) for 40-50 minutes or until heated.

Finished Product

Remove the foil from the baking dish. Sprinkle additional Mozzarella cheese on top of the casserole and cook for another 10-15 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Enjoy.

Reader Marilyn, SHORT-CUT:

AND THEN…there are those of us who cheat! It may not be as good as this caring recipe, but it’s quick. Stuff a piece of string cheese in that shell, nestle it in some ricotta sprinkled with Italian Seasoning, pour a generous amount of sauce over it, top with some shredded mozzarella, cover, bake, and serve! 😉 (If you wait until they’re hungry, it will taste even better!)

What tool do you use to fill manicotti shells?

I love using a silicone pastry tube or bag to fill the manicotti shells. It is perfect! It doesn’t need a tip, making filling the bag with the cheese mixture easy and squeezing just enough of the mixture into each shell.

What is the best way to store leftover manicotti?

I always transfer any leftover manicotti to an airtight container. If stored properly in the fridge, the remaining manicotti should last for 3-5 days.

Can manicotti be prepared ahead of time?

This recipe is great to make ahead of time! I recommend making it as is, uncooked, and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking. Bake as directed.

I have also made the cheese mixture ahead of time. I stored the mixture in freezer bags in the fridge for 3-5 days before cooking the manicotti shells. This worked well!

How do you keep manicotti shells from splitting?

The trick here is gently placing the cheese mixture into the cooked manicotti shells; I love using a silicone pastry bag to squeeze the mixture into the shells. I’ve found the shells work better right after removing them from the pot while they’re still soft. If you wait too long, they tend to stick together.

If you don’t have a pastry bag, a large, narrow spoon may also be a good option. You could also use a gallon-sized ziplock bag with a hole clipped in one corner.

What can you serve as a side with manicotti?

• Garden Salad
• No-Fail Soft Dinner Rolls
• Bread Sticks
• Easy To Make Cheesy Garlic Bread

How do you stuff manicotti without a silicone pastry or piping bag?

I love using a silicone pastry bag to squeeze the mixture into the shells.

A large, narrow spoon may be a good option if you don’t have a silicone pastry bag. You could also use a gallon-sized ziplock bag with a hole clipped in one corner.

Be creative! You got this! It’s all about simplicity. Try to make things as easy as possible, so you’ll want to make this stuffed manicotti recipe repeatedly.

Are there any variations for the manicotti filling?

I love this recipe as is! If you’re interested in making any changes, I recommend any of the following:

• Add freshly grated Parmesan, cheddar, or spicy pepper jack cheese.
• For added fiber and nutrition, add a variety of vegetables to the cheese filling—spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. You’ll need to cut these veggies into smaller pieces so they’ll fit into the pasta noodles more easily.
• Add some additional protein, and make a meat mixture with ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Cooked Italian sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey would be delicious and savory options. Be extra careful when adding the meat mixture to the manicotti noodles. The meat will need to be finely ground so that it doesn’t tear the noodles when adding the mixture.
• Add additional spices such as garlic or fresh basil. These spices are part of the spaghetti sauce, but you can add more if desired.

Love pasta? Check out these other delicious savory dishes!

• Pasta Recipes Your Family Will Love
• 20 Pasta Salad Recipes
• How To Make Fresh Pasta From Scratch

Final Word

This is genuinely the best manicotti recipe! It is one of our family’s favorites, and I hope it will be your family’s too!

It was amazing how easy it was to fill the manicotti noodles with the cheese mixture using the silicone pastry bag. Please let me know if you decide to use this bag as well. In the past, I had been hesitant to make manicotti, but with the ease of this bag, I will be making manicotti more often.

I love how the egg helps to bind the mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. I can see how important it is to use an egg. It helped keep the cheese mixture in the manicotti noodles while the casserole cooked. I love it!

You and your family are going to love this recipe! Let’s continue to teach our family how to make delicious, hearty, wholesome meals. May God Bless this World, Linda.