Manicotti is the ultimate comfort food hug.
My favorite thing about our Manicotti recipe is instead of trying to stuff the cheese filling into fragile pasta tubes, we roll the filling in softened, “no boil” lasagna noodles, which give it a more authentic taste and noodle to cheese ratio, plus they’re so much easier to assemble.
How to Make Manicotti
Marinara (or use store-bought): This easy homemade marinara only takes 15-minutes, but if you’re in a pinch, you can use 3 cups jarred sauce.
Cheese Filling: Mix ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, herbs, and 1 cup parmesan cheese in a bowl then set aside.
Prep Noodles: Pour 1-inch boiling water in a large casserole dish and submerge a few dry, no-boil noodles, allowing them to soak until pliable (about 5 minutes). Separate the noodles with a fork if needed so they don’t stick. Remove them to a single layer on a plate.
Assemble: Pour about 1 1/2 cups of marinara in a 9×13 baking dish. Scoop 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and place along one short end of the lasagna noodle. Roll up into a tube and place in baking dish, seam side down. We fit 8 manicotti in each row, allowing 16 in a dish.
Bake: Pour the rest of the marinara sauce on top of the pasta, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, until bubbly. Sprinkle 1 cup parmesan over pasta and bake for 5-7 more minutes, until cheese is melted. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
To Make Ahead: fill and roll the manicotti, place in pan, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store marinara topping seperatly and add before baking.Recipe Variations
Manicotti with Meat: Add one pound cooked and crumbled ground beef or sausage and add it to the red sauce.More Favorite Italian Recipes
Manicotti
Serves 16Prep 20 minutes mins Cook 40 minutes mins Total 1 hour hr
- 3 cups marinara sauce*
- 16 no-boil lasagna noodles*
- 3 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley , chopped (or 2 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
Cheese Filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs; set aside.
Prepare noodles: Pour 1 inch boiling water into a large casserole dish . Add dry noodles, a few at a time, allowing them to soak until pliable, about 5 minutes. Use a fork to help separate the noodles if needed, to prevent them from sticking together. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on a plate.
Assemble: Spread bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups red sauce. Place one pliable noodle in front of you and scoop ab out 1/4 cup cheese mixture in a line along the bottom short end. Roll all the way up into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. (You should be able to fit 8 manicotti in each row, allowing all 16 to fit in the dish).
Notes
Marinara: our homemade marinara sauce only takes 15 minutes, with basic pantry ingredients and the taste is incomparable to store-bought.Noodles: We use barilla no boil noodles for easier rolling and more authentic taste, but you can use manicotti shells.
Manicotti with Meat: Add one pound cooked and crumbled ground beef or sausage and add it to the red sauce.
Make Ahead Instructions: fill and roll the manicotti, place in pan, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store marinara topping seperatly and add before baking.
