Easy Cheese Manicotti
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Easy Cheese Manicotti Recipe – Tender pasta shells stuffed with a creamy blend of three cheeses, seasoned with classic Italian spices, and topped with vibrant marinara sauce. This hearty, handcrafted dish brings all the comfort and flavor of classic Italian cooking to your dinner table!
We love Italian-inspired recipes from Three Cheese Mostaccioli to Homemade Lasagna, —and let’s not forget Tiramisu Brownies for dessert! If you love Italian food as much as we do, this easy Cheese Manicotti recipe deserves a spot on your must-make list!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Making Baked Manicotti
- Rich and Cheesy: Every bite is packed with creamy, cheesy goodness
- Fun to Prepare: Filling the pasta shells is surprisingly enjoyable and great for getting the family involved.
- Crowd-Pleasing Dish: Always a hit at gatherings, it’s perfect for impressing guests or feeding a hungry family.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make it ahead, freeze, and enjoy a homemade meal on busy nights without extra effort.
Ingredients Needed To Make Cheesy Baked Manicotti
For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Manicotti – Large pasta tubes, boiled and stuffed with fillings like cheese or meat. Then baked with sauce for a hearty dish.
- Coarse kosher salt
- Cheese – ricotta, mozzarella and grated parmesan
- Fresh spinach – chopped
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Egg
- Jar of marinara sauce – use your favorite from the store, or make your own.
- Chopped parsley for garnish
How To Make This Cheese Manicotti
Manicotti is one of those dishes that tastes like you poured your heart and soul into it for hours in the kitchen. But this easy manicotti recipe is quick and easy enough to even make on a weeknight!
When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than listed on the box. Rinse, drain pasta.
- Mix up the cheese filling
- Transfer the cheese mixture to a piping bag and fill the cooked pasta before placing them in the baking dish in a single layer.
- Top with marinara sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until heated through and cheese has melted.
- Remove the foil and broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
- Allow the manicotti to cool slightly before serving.
Kitchen Notes
- Boil a few extra manicotti shells in case any of them break while cooking.
- You can add raw spinach or frozen spinach. For the latter, allow it to thaw and remove as much moisture from it as possible.
- Instead of using a pastry bag, simply cut off the corner of a ziptop bag.
- To make ahead, prep the dish and refrigerate overnight or freeze until you’re ready to bake it.
- Prevent the pasta from sticking together by tossing the cooked and drained pasta with a little olive oil or sauce to keep it from sticking
- For a thinner cheese mixture, add a quarter to a half cup of water.
- For the best melty mozzarella topping, grate your own instead of buying pre-shredded cheese.
Tips
- Using a piping bag is key to filling manicotti. Gently press the cheese filling into the cooked pasta . You can freeze the shells for a few minutes after filling them to help firm them up and make handling easier before baking.
How To Store Cheese Manicotti
This dish is perfect for making ahead and enjoying throughout the week. You can keep leftover manicotti in the fridge or store it whole or in individual servings in the freezer.
Refrigerate/Leftovers
Once it has cooled to room temperature, cover the entire baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Or, transfer it to an airtight container.
Freeze
Manicotti can be stored in the freezer for up to two months. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and then foil, or place individual servings in resealable freezer bags or a freezer-safe container.
Variations + Additions For This Cheese Manicotti Recipe
The great thing about this manicotti recipe is how easy it is to customize—whether you go fully homemade with the sauce and seasonings or use store bought for a semi-homemade version.
- Sauce – Make your own homemade marinara sauce.
- Meat – Add browned salsiccia (Italian sausage), or ground beef for a meat sauce.
- Seasoning – Use homemade Italian seasoning. It typically includes basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, with parsley being great additions to homemade blends.
- Cheese – Substitute cottage cheese for some or all of the ricotta.
- Alfredo – Instead of red sauce, use a creamy Alfredo sauce.
Serve baked manicotti with a simple Italian salad and garlic cheese bread.
Cheesy, comforting, and flavorful, cheese manicotti is a hearty Italian dish you’ll keep in your recipe box forever!
Cheese Manicotti
This cheese manicotti recipe features tender pasta tubes stuffed with creamy cheese, baked in marinara, and perfectly seasoned. A hearty Italian dish you’ll keep in your recipe box forever!
Ingredients
- 8 manicotti (boil 10 incase a few break
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 egg
- 16 ounce jar marinara sauce
- ⅛ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the manicotti and cook for 7 minutes. Once the pasta is cooked, rinse right away with cold water and drain. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil or sauce to keep it from sticking.
- While the pasta is cooking. In a bowl add the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, spinach, parmesan cheese, seasonings, and egg. Mix until combined. if you feel the cheese mixture is very thick you can add a quarter cup to half a cup of water to thin the cheese mixture. Place the cheese mixture into a ziptop or piping bag.
- Add 1 ½ cups of marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9 x13 baking dish. Set aside and preheat oven to 350° F
- Pipe or spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti and place each stuffed manicotti into the baking dish.
- Top the stuffed pasta with the remaining marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil.
- Bake for 25-30 or until the cheese is melted and the pasta is hot throughout.
- Remove the foil. Turn the oven to broil or 500° F. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. (keep a VERY close eye on it).
- Remove from oven and allow the manicotti to sit 5-10 minutes . Garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
leftovers can be covered or in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Boil a few extra manicotti shells in case any of them break while cooking.
- You can use raw spinach or frozen spinach. For the latter, allow it to thaw and remove as much moisture from it as possible.
- Instead of using a pastry bag, simply cut off the corner of a ziplock bag.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 465Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 1440mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 32g
Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used and are just estimates. We encourage, especially if these numbers are important to you, to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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