Easy Homemade Manicotti
My Easy Homemade Manicotti is a family favorite. I stuff the cooked manicotti shells with a mixture of ricotta cheese and Italian cheese, before covering it with my favorite homemade Sunday sauce and some shredded cheese and baking to molten perfection in the oven!
Easy Homemade Manicotti
This easy baked pasta dish is the perfect bowl of comfort food and sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. I like to use leftover homemade Sunday Sauce, as I always make extra to store in the freezer. However, if you don’t have homemade sauce don’t worry, just warm up your preferred brands jar of marinara sauce.
I’ve made this manicotti recipe without meat, but you can swap the tomato sauce for a bolognese or ragu sauce if you prefer.
This easy manicotti recipe can be prepared ahead, then stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. Which makes this a great mid week pasta dinner for the family.
Another great pasta recipe to try if you have a smoker is smoked shotgun shells! Tender pasta tubes stuffed with a meaty-cheesy filling, wrapped in bacon, sauced, and smoked – DIVINE!!!
Recipe ingredients
- PASTA: for this recipe I use a box of manicotti pasta tubes.
- CHEESE: I fill the manicotti with a combination of ricotta cheese and Italian cheese. I also sprinkle extra Italian cheese over the top of the dish before baking in the oven.
- SAUCE: I use my favorite homemade spaghetti Sunday Sauce, or you can use your favorite brand of marinara sauce.
How to make Easy Homemade Manicotti
To begin, boil your pasta as per package instructions.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Meanwhile, reheat leftover Sunday sauce or warm up preferred brand jar of marinara sauce.
Mix the ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese in a bowl. Spray 9×13-inch oven proof pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Fill the manicotti pasta with your cheese mixture (it helps to use a piping bag!)
Place filled pasta in the oven proof pan.
Pour the Sunday sauce or marinara sauce over the pasta and place the pan into the hot oven to bake or 30 minutes.
Spread the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese over the top of the cooked dish and serve.
Flavor variations
- I’ve used manicotti, but you could also use cannelloni noodles, or substitute with large shell shaped pasta.
- I’ve used a tomato based Sunday sauce, but you can use your favorite marinara sauce which is also vegetable based.
- Swap the vegetable sauce for a meat based bolognese or ragu.
- Add other ingredients to the ricotta cheese mixture, try fresh or frozen spinach, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or freshly herbs like basil, parsley or thyme.
- Sprinkle over some freshly shredded Parmesan cheese before baking the manicotti.
- To make gluten free manicotti, look for gluten free pasta, either manicotti or cannelloni.
Serving suggestion
This hearty bowl of homemade manicotti packs a real flavor punch, so keep any side dishes simple. A dressed tomato or green salad with a side of garlic bread, focaccia or crusty bread on the table.
If you want to include some extra vegetable sides, try something quick and easy like my Oven Roasted Garlic Parmesan Asparagus, Sheet Pan Roasted Broccoli or my Roasted Green Beans.
Recipe hints & tips
- The best way to fill manicotti is to use a piping bag, this will ensure you get the filling right into the center of the tube.
- If you don’t have a piping bag, a ziploc bag with the corner cut off will work just as well.
- Once the manicotti has cooked, and to stop the tubes from sticking together, set each tube onto a sheet of baking paper allowing plenty space between each shell.
FAQs
Manicotti and cannelloni are very similar in that they are both large tube shaped pasta shells. Manicotti is an Italian-American pasta, which translates as “little sleeves”. However, where cannelloni is a completely smooth pasta tube, manicotti has ridges running around the outside of the tube, which are ideal for holding the pasta sauce.
Leftover manicotti can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat in a warm oven or microwave.
Yes. You can either cook the entire dish, allow it to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Or, layer up the dish and freeze it before it is baked.
However you can also cook and stuff the manicotti and place individually on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Freeze the manicotti for 2 hours until firm, then place the frozen tubes in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can then take out as many manicotti as you need for serving and finish the dish with your sauce of choice.
Don’t miss these other delicious Pasta Recipes from When Is Dinner:
Manicotti
Easy Homemade Manicotti is a family favorite recipe, manicotti pasta stuffed with a mixture of ricotta cheese and Italian cheese, covered in tangy Sunday sauce and shredded cheese and baked to molten perfection in the oven!
Ingredients
- 1 Box Manicotti Pasta
- 1 Container Ricotta Cheese
- 2 cups Italian Cheese divided
- 2 cups Spaghetti 'Sunday' Sauce
Instructions
- To begin, boil your pasta as per package instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, reheat leftover Sunday sauce or warm up preferred brand jar of marinara sauce.
- Mix the ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese in a bowl.
- Spray 9x13-inch oven proof pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Fill the manicotti pasta with your cheese mixture (it helps to use a piping bag!)
- Place filled pasta in the oven proof pan.
- Pour the Sunday sauce or marinara sauce over the pasta and place the pan into the hot oven to bake or 30 minutes.
- Spread the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese over the top of the cooked dish and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 255Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 329mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 14g
These are a few items I find helpful when preparing this Homemade Manicotti Recipe:
Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish with Red Plastic Lid -13.2 INCH x 8.9inch x 2 inch
Weetiee Pastry Bag – 100 Pieces 16 Inch [Extra Thick] Disposable Piping Bags Set with 8 decorating tips, 1 coupler and 3 Bag Ties for Cake Decorating Royal FrostingEveryday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious RecipesThe 5-Ingredient Italian Cookbook: 101 Regional Classics Made SimpleItalian Cookbook for Beginners: Over 100 Classic Recipes with Everyday Ingredients
![Weetiee Pastry Bag - 100 Pieces 16 Inch [Extra Thick] Disposable Piping Bags Set with 8 decorating tips, 1 coupler and 3 Bag Ties for Cake Decorating Royal Frosting](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ndU1ycvqL.jpg)
This sounds wonderful and thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
Talk about yum! my hubby loves Italian food, and I always make him this among other Italian dishes,, I like
the way you kept the recipe simple and easy to follow 😉 thanks for share
Yumm!
I’ve never made Manicotti before,but this looks easy and I am going to make it soo.Thanks!
This looks really easy to do. I love easy Italian dishes. Thanks for sharing
THIS is my new favorite pasta recipe.
My all time favorite pasta recipe is Lasagna.
manicotta
we eat lasagna quite often and it is our fav
My favorite pasta is Lasagna, and this recipe looks great.
Yum, I love manicotti! My favorite pasta recipe is three-cheese lasagne.
My favorite pasta dish is Pasta Roma, Breakfast Sausage, Rigatoni, Mushrooms, and Spaghetti sauce.
i love chickcen alfredo
I don’t really have a favorite pasta dish.
My favorite is ” Lasagna.” Yummy!!
I love to cook fettucine noodles with alfredo sauce cut up chicken bacon peas and ham
My favorite is lasagna with cottage cheese not ricotta
Yum! These look fantastic! My sister in law makes great manicotti that I love, but I don’t know what she puts in it.
I love fettuccini alfredo(of course the worst kind!)
I like just spaghetti with red sauce.
I enjoy ravioli!
I love stuffed ricotta past shells with spaghetti sauce. Yummy!
I love to cook some fettucine noodles and cut up some cooked chicken and some alfredo sauce and toss together, the kids like it too!
Karen
I like pasta with olive oil, garlic, tuna and herbs.
I love just about any kind of pasta dish, though my favorites are those like the above manicotti that don’t have meat. Cheese and veggies! I’d love to take some chopped spinach and mix that into the cheese that stuffs the pasta and then put another layer of cheese over top of the pasta before adding the red sauce and then after topping with cheese out of the oven, you can toss on some freshly chopped raw spinach. YUM!
i love pasta with tomatoes and basil
My family is raving about how delicious this recipe turned out!
DELICIOUS!!!! I LOVE this recipe 🙂 Thank you.
I’ve never made Manicotti, but love this recipe so I may make it with that great filling tip! My favorite recipe is a lasagna that my Mom used to always make. I haven’t made it in a while either.
This is my new fave pasta recipe!
My favorite pasts recipe is really simple. You mix spiral noodles, chopped up red/green peppers, and slices of Johnsonville sausage (they have so many kinds!) then top with spaghetti sauce and mozzerella! Really simple.
I love Manicotti and I haven’t made it in a long time. I never thought to slice open the pasta, that’s so smart and it would make it so much easier to fill! I’m going to make Manicotti for supper tomorrow, thanks for the recipe and tip!
My favourite pasta recipe is one that we made up. YOu can use any pasta. Saute sliced mushrooms and add grape tomatoes just to warm them up. Break up some asparagus and steam. Once the pasta is cooked add some pesto, some skim milk (to make it lighter) mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus and top with toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan!
It’s been a long time since I’ve had good manicotti. I’m going to have to try this. It looks delicious!
I love pasta, thanks for the great easy recipe!