Today, I’m excited to share my take on a manicotti recipe inspired by my first job at an Italian restaurant. The dish was called cannelloni at the restaurant where it was made with pasta sheets and marinara sauce. I changed the pasta sheets to pasta tubes, making it easier for home cooks to prepare, and I use my Ragu Napoletano, made with rich Italian sausage. This manicotti features tender pasta stuffed with spinach, creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses, all baked to perfection under a delicious layer of Ragu Napoletano and melty cheese. Serve this with my Garlic Focaccia bread for the perfect Italian-inspired meal.
When manicotti is served in a restaurant, it carries an air of elegance and sophistication, giving the impression that it is a complex, gourmet dish. However, the reality is that manicotti, while visually impressive, is straightforward to prepare at home. With a handful of ingredients and a few, simple steps, you can create this high-quality dish in your kitchen. Whether planning for a Holiday meal, a special occasion or satisfying a craving for comforting Italian food, this recipe shows that professional expertise is not required to achieve excellent results.
Mise en Place: The Key to Stress Free Manicotti
The first step in preparing this Manicotti recipe—or any recipe— is to fully read through the instructions, gather all necessary equipment, and measure out each ingredient. This practice, known as “Mise en Place,” or “everything in its place,” is a cornerstone of culinary preparation. Especially for newer cooks, mise en place offers clarity and confidence, ensuring you understand each step, have all components within easy reach, and can move smoothly through the cooking process. Preparing ingredients and tools ahead saves time and helps prevent last-minute surprises, setting you up for a seamless cooking experience.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Manicotti Recipe
Exact measurements and preparation instruction may be found on the recipe card below.
- Manicotti Pasta Shells – Take 3-4 minutes off of the recommended cooking time on the package. They’ll finish cooking in the oven and be easier to fill if they are slightly firm.
- Mozzarella Cheese – Use your favorite. I use whole milk mozarella.
- Ricotta Cheese – If the cheese is watery, allow it to drain, or spread it on doubled paper towels to absorb the excess moisture.
- Egg – Will bind the cheese filling together.
- Parmesan Cheese – Fresh grated is the most flavorful.
- Spinach – you can use fresh or frozen. If fresh, blanch by dropping in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain thoroughly and then squeeze the last of the moisture out. If frozen, make sure to remove any water.
- Dried Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Sauce – I use my Ragu Napoletano sauce or you can use your favorite marinara sauce.
How to Make the Perfect Manicotti
Step 1: Prepare the Pasta and Spinach
Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the pasta shells and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to maintain an easy boil. Cook for 3 minutes less than the maximum time on the package directions (the instructions on the pasta I used said to cook for 9-10 minutes, so subtracting 3 minutes, I cooked for 7 minutes). Remove from heat, and run cool water into the pan to cool the pasta so that you can handle it.
Step 2: Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Step 3: Prepare the Filling and Baking Dish
While the pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, eggs, sugar, and seasonings, in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Prepare your baking dish by treating with nonstick spray. Pour 2 cups of the sauce into the baking dish to line the bottom.
Step 4: Fill the Pasta Tubes
The easiest way to fill the pasta tubes is to pipe the cheese mixture into the tubes. If you have a piping bag, use the largest tip. If you do not have a piping bag, a gallon sized Ziploc bag works wonderfully. Place the cheese mixture inside the Ziploc bag, squeeze to move the cheese mixture to a corner, then using kitchen shears, cut the corner so there is roughly a 1/2 inch opening.
Place the corner of the bag (or the tip of your piping bag) into the end of the tube and gentle squeeze the bag to force the cheese mixture into the tube. If it won’t fully fill the tube, simply turn the tube around and fill from the other end until the tube is full. Don’t overfill, just to the end is fine.
An alternative to a large baking dish is using individual serving size boats. Baking time is the same as a large baking dish.
When done filling all of the tubes, evenly top with the remaining sauce.
Step 5: Baking the Manicotti
Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with the mozzarella cheese and return to oven to melt the cheese, about 10 more minutes.
Serve immediately.
PrintManicotti Made Simple: Restaurant-Worthy Results at Home
Delight in this Italian-American classic with tender pasta shells stuffed with a rich blend of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and spinach, seasoned with herbs and spices. Topped with homemade Ragu Napoletano or your favorite marinara sauce, and baked until bubbly, this manicotti is a comforting, crowd-pleasing dish that’s perfect for any occasion!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Ingredients
- 8 ounce box of manicotti pasta shells
- 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 16 ounces of ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup of chopped spinach
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 3 cups of Marinara Sauce or my Ragu Napoletano
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the pasta shells and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to maintain an easy boil. Cook for 3 minutes less than the maximum time on the package directions (the instructions on the pasta I used said to cook for 9-10 minutes, so subtracting 3 minutes, I cooked for 7 minutes). Remove from heat, and run cool water into the pan to cool the pasta so that you can handle it.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- While the pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, spinach, eggs, sugar, and seasonings, in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Prepare your baking dish by treating with nonstick spray. Pour 2 cups of the sauce into the baking dish to line the bottom.
- The easiest way to fill the pasta tubes is to pipe the cheese mixture into the tubes. If you have a piping bag, use the largest tip. If you do not have a piping bag, a gallon sized Ziploc bag works wonderfully. Place the cheese mixture inside the Ziploc bag, squeeze to move the cheese mixture to a corner, then using kitchen shears, cut the corner so there is roughly a 1/2 inch opening. Place the corner of the bag (or the tip of your piping bag) into the end of the tube and gentle squeeze the bag to force the cheese mixture into the tube. If it won’t fully fill the tube, simply turn the tube around and fill from the other end until the tube is full. Don’t overfill, just to the end is fine. As you fill the tubes, arrange them in a single layer in the prepared baking dish (see note #1).
- When done filling all the tubes, evenly top with the remaining sauce.
- Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with the mozzarella cheese and return to oven to melt the cheese, about 10 more minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- As an alternative to a large baking dish, you can use single serving boats. These are especially convenient for meal prep as they can be frozen and thawed/cooked as needed. Top each boat with cheese before freezing and tightly cover with aluminum foil. They’ll keep in the freezer for about a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and cook in a 375°F oven for about 30 minutes until bubbly.
