Stuffed Manicotti

Change-up this stuffed pasta recipe to your liking. To stuff shells instead of manicotti, mound the filling into 12 to 15 cooked jumbo pasta shells.

Stuffed Manicotti and Stuffed Shells in white baking dishes
Photo: Andy Lyons
Prep Time:
40 mins
Bake Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
40 mins
Servings:
6

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Cheesy Ricotta Filling or Spinach-Pancetta Filling

  • 1 recipe Manicotti Meat Sauce or Creamy Parmesan Sauce

  • 12 dried manicotti

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)

Cheesy Ricotta Filling

  • 1 15 ounce carton whole milk ricotta cheese

  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 oz.)

  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz.)

  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed

Manicotti Meat Sauce

  • 8 ounce ground beef and/or bulk Italian sausage

  • ½ cup chopped onion

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • ¼ cup dry red wine or chicken broth

  • 1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes

  • 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

  • 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed

  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare desired filling and sauce as directed. Cook manicotti according to package directions; drain. Place manicotti in a single layer on greased foil.

  2. Using a small spoon, fill manicotti with desired filling; arrange in a 2-qt. rectangular baking dish. Pour sauce over pasta.

  3. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until mixture is heated through and cheese is melted. (If using Creamy Parmesan Sauce, bake, covered, 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese, then let stand until cheese is melted.)

Cheesy Ricotta Filling

  1. In a medium bowl combine one 15-oz. carton whole milk ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.), 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz.), and 1 tsp, dried Italian seasoning, crushed. Using a small spoon, fill each manicotti with about 1/4 cup cheese mixture.

Manicotti Meat Sauce

  1. In a large skillet cook 8 oz. ground beef and/or Italian sausage, 1/2 cup onion, and 3 cloves garlic, minced, over medium-high heat until meat is browned, stirring to break up meat as it cooks. Drain fat. Stir in 1/4 cup wine or chicken broth; bring to boiling. Stir in one 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes, one 15-oz. can tomato sauce, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. fennel seeds, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spinach-Pancetta FIlling

Prepare Cheesy Ricotta Filling as directed, except thaw and squeeze liquid from half of a 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach. In an 8-inch skillet cook 4 oz. chopped pancetta or bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Stir pancetta and spinach into ricotta mixture and reduce mozzarella cheese to 1/2 cup in ricotta mixture.

Creamy Parmesan Sauce

Prepare White Sauce as directed (p. xx), except add 3 cloves garlic, minced, to the melted butter; cook and stir 1 minute before adding the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese into finished sauce.

Stuffed Shells

Prepare as directed, except mound the filling into 12 to 15 cooked jumbo shell macaroni.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

515 Calories
25g Fat
41g Carbs
33g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 515
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 147mg 49%
Sodium 886mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 33g
Vitamin C 13mg 65%
Calcium 495mg 38%
Iron 4.4mg 24%
Potassium 703mg 15%
Fatty acids, total trans 1g
Folate, total 124.4mcg
Vitamin B-12 1.5mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.4mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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