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Treat your family to the ultimate Italian comfort food with this easy manicotti recipe — jumbo tubes of pasta stuffed with an herb ricotta filling. To maximize flavor, I include a quick homemade marinara sauce that adds a rustic tomato taste to each serving.
A big casserole dish of manicotti can feed a hungry family and still have plenty of leftovers for the week. It’s also a cinch to prepare in advance so you can bake when ready for a no-hassle weeknight meal. This recipe is Italian-husband approved, and I think Jason’s grandma Rose would even say mangia!
In my years of testing, my scientific mind broke down the recipe into three parts: noodles, filling, sauce. Seems simple, yet each component needs careful preparation. It all starts with simmering the tomato sauce, which gives the flavor plenty of time to concentrate. I cook the pasta to al dente to ensure the pieces don’t break and then pipe in the creamy filling.
What is manicotti?
Manicotti are large tubes of Italian pasta, typically with ridges on the outside, making it easy to trap the flavorful sauce. The cheese-filled shells are nestled in tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella, and baked in a casserole dish.
To customize the recipe, this popular baked pasta can be stuffed with multiple kinds of cheese and the mixture can even include chopped vegetables like mushrooms and spinach. For a heartier meal, I would make this with a meat sauce consisting of Italian sausage, beef, or veal.
Three kinds of cheese in the filling
The hallmark of a tasty stuffed manicotti is its filling. For a unique combination of texture and flavor, I use three types of Italian cheeses. Ricotta cheese is the base, it has a hint of sweetness and creamy consistency. It’s also soft and gooey, making it easy to pipe.
Mozzarella is mild and stretchy, helping to bind the filling and provide the drool-worthy pull. Aged Parmesan cheese is hard, but it brings a nutty and sharp taste. To fill the manicotti shells, use a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (I use Ateco 806) or a large freezer bag with the small opening cut in one corner
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