Baked Cheese Manicotti
A cheesy, rich baked Italian pasta dish, great for serving large groups of people for holidays or parties. Baked cheese manicotti can easily be prepared in advance and makes for a simple and filling meal.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 254kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 baking dish
- 1 immersion blender
Ingredients
- 9 oz manicotti
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4 basil leaves
- ½ cup mozzarella
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove minced garlic
Ricotta Mixture
- ¾ cup mozzarella
- 1 16 oz container ricotta
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your manicotti and boil for 5 minutes. Remove and place on an oiled baking tray to cool.
- Bring a large saucepan to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Stir in 1 clove of minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute and then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and basil leaves. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425℉. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, egg, ¼ cup parmesan, ¾ cup mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, parsley, and the rest of the minced garlic. Mix well.
- Using a spoon or piping bag, fill each manicotti with the ricotta filling. Spoon a layer of sauce into a baking dish. Place your manicotti into the pan, lined up evenly. Top with the remaining sauce, ½ cup of mozzarella, and ¼ cup of parmesan.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese and sauce are bubbling. Rest for ten minutes so the ricotta will set.
Video
Notes
- Any sauce will work here. Whether it is a Homemade Marinara, an Italian Sunday Sauce, or something more hearty like an Authentic Italian Bolognese. I typically have one of the above frozen and use it for the sauce!
- Grease the surface of the pan with olive oil, where you will cool the pasta. Pasta cooked halfway through is extremely sticky. If you don't have olive oil on the pan, it will definitely stick and rip, making it impossible to stuff.
- Blending the sauce is a must for manicotti, in my opinion. I love a smooth sauce over the pasta with a layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.
- Choosing ricotta is important because they're not all the same. If your ricotta seems really wet, place it in a mesh strainer and press it with a paper towel to remove some of the liquid! This will prevent the ricotta from leaking out everywhere.
Nutrition
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 1102mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 371IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 1mg
