This easy manicotti recipe is an easy make-ahead meal perfect for busy weeknights.
This pasta bake is stuffed with cheese and Italian herbs, covered in marinara sauce and baked to perfection! It can even be made ahead to quickly pop in the oven on busy weeknights.
What is Manicotti?
Manicotti is a long, large, tubular pasta that is usually cooked and stuffed with a ricotta cheese filling similar to this classic stuffed shells recipe.
Baked, cheese-stuffed manicotti is one of the best comfort foods, and it’s also perfect for making ahead to enjoy on a busy weeknight!
Ingredients & Variations
- MANICOTTI This pasta is perfect for this recipe since it holds the filling nicely! But any large tubular pasta would work for this recipe.
Try it with cannelloni, large pasta shells, or even rigatoni. Rigatoni are on the smaller side so give yourself a little extra time as they will take longer to prep!
- FILLING Made with three kinds of cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan, this filling is so delicious!
For some extra spice, try replacing the mozzarella with Monterrey Jack or a pepper jack cheese. Or try cottage cheese in place of ricotta. Just strain the cottage cheese before adding it to the recipe to avoid the filling being too watery.
And don’t forget the pesto. It adds the perfect Italian flavors.
- SAUCE For the best flavor try making a homemade marinara sauce. You can also use a store-bought marinara sauce or even a basic tomato sauce in a pinch. Just add in some Italian seasoning to boost the flavors!
How to Make Manicotti?
This delicious baked pasta dish is easy to prepare and delicious to enjoy!
- Cook manicotti shells. While they’re cooling, prep filling (per recipe below).
- Stuff shells and layer with marinara and cheese in a casserole.
- Bake and serve immediately!
Get creative with the filling. Add in different cheese, spinach, herbs, or meat like chicken, beef, or sausage for a unique dish!
How to Stuff Manicotti
Once the filling is prepped, grab a large freezer bag or pastry bag to easily fill your manicotti shells!
- Fill the bag with the ricotta mixture
- Snip the end and pipe it in!
No cake decorating skills required ;)
Tips for the Best Pasta Bake
Do you have to cook manicotti shells before filling them? That depends.
I prefer to use the regular manicotti shells rather than the oven ready, but you can use oven-ready in a pinch if you really want to skip cooking them before filling.
If swapping the regular noodles for oven-ready in this recipe, keep an eye on the casserole as it bakes. If it starts to look dry, add a drizzle (a couple of tablespoons) of water around the edge (yes, water! Trust me).
It’s also important to keep the noodles covered in sauce and cover the pan while baking if you are using oven-ready noodles so that everything cooks evenly.
Leftovers
This recipe is great for leftovers. Simply prepare up until the point of baking, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To serve, just thaw (if frozen) and bake as directed!
Store already cooked leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or in the oven at 325F until heated through, about 20-25 minutes.
Easy Pasta Recipes
- One Pot Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage – simple to prep!
- Meatball Pasta Bake – with homemade meatballs!
- Chicken Alfredo Bake – make-ahead friendly
- Pizza Pasta Bake – easy, cheesy casserole
- Turkey Sausage Baked Ziti – freezer friendly
Did you love this stuffed manicotti recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!
Easy Stuffed Manicotti
Ingredients
- 12 manicotti pasta shells
- 2 cups ricotta cheese 1 16 ounce/ 475g container
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese divided
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ½ cups marinara sauce
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375°F.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add manicotti and boil for the 7-8 minutes, until almost tender*.
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Drain and rinse manicotti 2-3 times under cold water until cooled to room temperature.
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In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, pesto, salt, and pepper.
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Place ricotta mixture in a large piping bag or large freezer bag and snip the end.
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Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom.
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Fill each manicotti shell with ricotta cheese mixture and line up on top of the marinara sauce in the baking dish, dividing the ricotta evenly between the 12 manicotti.
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Top the filled manicotti with the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
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Lightly grease a piece of foil or lid and cover the baking dish. Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until heated through and pasta is tender. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
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Absolutely love this recipe!!!!
Happy to hear you love it, Kiah! It’s a favorite in my house too
very good thanks i did add ground beef to the sauce and it was very good you have a hit with this one
This was exccellent!! I added a little nutmeg and spinach to the filling. Thanks for sharing this
recipe with us!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
when i made it it was delicious thank you for the recipe
I cooked and prepared them for dinner but did not bake them till I got home. They were awesome delicious . I guess leaving them to marinate a little before cooking allowed the sauce and spices to enter the pasta making it a dish I will be making more often for sure . Thanks again
This is THE recipe for delicious manicotti! It’s authentic, with no weird ingredients. Thanks, Ashley! :)
Thanks, Paige! So happy you enjoyed this reipce.
Good recipe. S/W difficult stuffing shells. Guess it gets easier the more you do the recipe
Definitely gets easier with practice, Emilie! Hope you enjoyed this recipe :)
I am a widower and live alone,I enjoy cooking ,I love the dishes you posts,and want to try everyone of them.
Thank you Dalton, enjoy the recipes!
So good! Sadly, I only had enough filling to stuff 8.5 shells and there were 14 in the package I bought. I will likely double the filling next time to make the whole package.
Excellent recipe. Easy to follow! Love it!
So glad you enjoyed it Kitty!
The Manicotti was a hit at our house. I usually make my own sauce but decided to use a jar sauce instead (Rao’s). It was great. The recipe was easy to follow. I’ll definitely make this again!!
Everything looks great! Would love to try some recipes out!