Three Cheese Manicotti
Manicotti stuffed with a three cheese ricotta filling and baked in marinara until bubbly and golden. Pipe the filling with a zip-top bag and skip the mess.
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Manicotti looks like a project until you learn the bag trick, and then it’s a Sunday dinner you can pull off on a Tuesday. Fourteen pasta tubes get piped full of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, laid in a bed of marinara, and baked under foil until the sauce bubbles at the edges. The filling sets into something soft and sliceable, the cheese on top browns in patches, and the pan feeds seven.
The piping bag is what makes this manageable. Spoon the filling into a gallon zip-top bag, snip three quarters of an inch off one corner, and pipe into each tube from both ends so it meets in the middle. Stuffing manicotti with a small spoon means torn shells and a filthy counter. It also matters that you pull the shells from the water early, at 6 or 7 minutes, so they’re still firm enough to handle.
One egg binds the filling so it doesn’t ooze out into the sauce, and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg is the old-school Italian-American touch that makes the ricotta taste like more than plain cheese. You won’t be able to name it in the finished dish, which is exactly the point.
Why You’ll Love This Manicotti Recipe
- No-mess stuffing. A zip-top bag with a snipped corner fills all 14 tubes in a couple of minutes without tearing a single one.
- Three cheeses doing three jobs. Ricotta for creaminess, mozzarella for the stretch, and parmesan for the salty edge.
- Built to make ahead. Assemble the whole pan a day early and slide it in the oven straight from the fridge.
- Feeds a crowd cheaply. One box of pasta, three cups of marinara, and a tub of ricotta puts dinner in front of seven people.
Manicotti Ingredients
Use whole-milk ricotta, not part-skim. Part-skim releases more water as it bakes, and that water pools in the bottom of the pan and thins out the marinara. If your ricotta looks watery in the tub, set it in a fine-mesh strainer for 20 minutes before you mix the filling.
- 1 (8 oz) box manicotti shells (14 tubes)
- 15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, divided
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
Recipe Variations
- Stir 1 cup of thawed, well-squeezed frozen spinach into the filling for a spinach and cheese version. Squeeze it hard in a clean towel or the filling turns loose.
- Swap 1/2 cup of the mozzarella in the filling for provolone if you want a sharper, more assertive cheese flavor.
- Use a vodka sauce or a garlicky arrabbiata in place of plain marinara for a spicier pan.
How to Make Manicotti
- Heat the oven and boil the shells: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Boil the manicotti in a large pot of salted water for just 6 to 7 minutes, which is short of al dente on purpose so the tubes stay sturdy enough to stuff. Drain and lay them in a single layer on a lightly oiled sheet pan so they don’t stick to each other.
- Mix the cheese filling: In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, 1 1/4 cups of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the parmesan, the egg, garlic, basil, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper until smooth and evenly combined.
- Season the sauce and start the pan: Stir the Italian seasoning into the marinara. Spread 1 cup of it across the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish so the tubes have something to sit in.
- Pipe the filling: Spoon the cheese mixture into a gallon zip-top bag, press out the air, and snip 3/4 inch off one bottom corner. Pipe the filling into each tube from one end until it reaches the middle, then fill from the other end to meet it.
- Assemble the dish: Arrange the filled tubes in a single layer over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 2 cups of marinara over the top, covering the ends of every tube so they don’t dry out and turn leathery in the oven.
- Bake covered: Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan.
- Add the cheese and brown it: Uncover and sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan over the top. Return to the oven uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and golden in spots.
- Rest and serve: Let the pan sit for 10 minutes before serving so the egg-set filling firms up and the tubes lift out whole instead of collapsing. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.
Recipe FAQs
How Is Manicotti Different from Stuffed Shells?
Manicotti are long, straight tubes you pipe filling into from both ends, and they lay flat in a single row. Stuffed shells are wide, curved shells you spoon filling into with the opening facing up. The fillings are close cousins, though manicotti versions lean on an egg and a little nutmeg to keep the filling from running out the open ends.
Do I Have to Boil the Shells First?
For this recipe, yes. Dry manicotti tubes crack when you try to pipe into them. Six or seven minutes in boiling water makes them flexible while keeping them firm. Some brands sell oven-ready manicotti that skip the boil, and those need extra sauce and a longer covered bake.
My Shells Keep Splitting. What Am I Doing Wrong?
Usually overcooking. If they go past 7 minutes they get soft and tear the second you squeeze the bag. Pull them early, cool them under a quick rinse of cool water, and handle them one at a time.
Can I Assemble This the Night Before?
Yes, and it’s one of the best make-ahead pans there is. Assemble it fully, cover with foil, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge and add about 10 minutes to the covered bake time.
How Much Filling Goes in Each Tube?
Roughly 3 tablespoons, about 1/4 cup of the mixture per shell. If you run short at the end, the last few tubes can be a little lighter without anyone noticing once the sauce is on.
Cooking Tips
- Snip a generous 3/4 inch off the bag corner. A small opening makes you squeeze hard, and hard squeezing is what blows the bag open or splits a shell.
- Cover every exposed pasta end with sauce. Any tube end left bare bakes into a hard, chewy edge that nobody wants on their plate.
- Shred the mozzarella off a block instead of buying it pre-shredded. Bagged cheese is coated in starch to keep it from clumping, and that coating keeps it from melting into a smooth, stretchy layer.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Cover the baking dish or move portions to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Freezes beautifully, baked or unbaked, for up to 3 months. For an unbaked pan, wrap in plastic wrap and then foil, and bake from frozen at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes covered, then uncover, add the cheese, and finish 15 minutes.
To reheat: Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or cover a whole dish with foil and warm at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. A spoonful of extra marinara on top keeps the pasta from drying out.
How to Serve Manicotti
Manicotti is rich, so a big green salad with a sharp Italian vinaigrette earns its spot on the table. Roasted broccoli or sauteed zucchini both work if you want another warm vegetable. If your family likes a meatier version of this kind of pan, our Beef Stuffed Shells covers that side of the shelf.
Loved This Recipe?
Manicotti is old-school Italian-American comfort food, and once you pipe the filling out of a zip-top bag you’ll wonder why it ever felt like a chore.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Three Cheese Manicotti
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz) box manicotti shells 14 tubes
- 15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella divided
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, divided
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Heat the oven and boil the shells: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Boil the manicotti in a large pot of salted water for just 6 to 7 minutes, which is short of al dente on purpose so the tubes stay sturdy enough to stuff. Drain and lay them in a single layer on a lightly oiled sheet pan so they don’t stick to each other.
- Mix the cheese filling: In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, 1 1/4 cups of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the parmesan, the egg, garlic, basil, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper until smooth and evenly combined.
- Season the sauce and start the pan: Stir the Italian seasoning into the marinara. Spread 1 cup of it across the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish so the tubes have something to sit in.
- Pipe the filling: Spoon the cheese mixture into a gallon zip-top bag, press out the air, and snip 3/4 inch off one bottom corner. Pipe the filling into each tube from one end until it reaches the middle, then fill from the other end to meet it.
- Assemble the dish: Arrange the filled tubes in a single layer over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 2 cups of marinara over the top, covering the ends of every tube so they don’t dry out and turn leathery in the oven.
- Bake covered: Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan.
- Add the cheese and brown it: Uncover and sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan over the top. Return to the oven uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and golden in spots.
- Rest and serve: Let the pan sit for 10 minutes before serving so the egg-set filling firms up and the tubes lift out whole instead of collapsing. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.
