Best Christmas Vacation Manicotti Casserole Recipes

MANICOTTI ITALIAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Pour in rigatoni, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set pasta aside.
• Meanwhile, brown ground beef and italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. With a slotted spoon, remove beef and sausage to a baking dish. Stir mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, and cooked pasta into the baking dish. Sprinkle cheese and pepperoni over the top.
• Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

CHIPOTLE MANICOTTI BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook manicotti according to package directions for al dente. Drain., In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, green onions, eggs and cilantro. Spoon into manicotti. Spread 1/2 cup salsa into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with stuffed manicotti. Pour remaining salsa over top. Bake, uncovered , 20 minutes. , Sprinkle with pepper jack cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

CHRISTMAS VACATION MANICOTTI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain & set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350; grease a 13x9 pan; set aside.
• Meanwhile, melt 3 T of the butter in a large skillet, add the 'shrooms and garlic; saute until mushroom liquid is absorbed; transfer to a large bowl.
• Melt remaining tablespoon of butter; drop spinach bits into that and stir to coat--quickly; add this to the mushroom mixture.
• Stir in ricotta, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.
• Spoon mixture into a LARGE ziplock bag, snip the corner off and squeeze filling into shells; place shells into prepared pan.
• Melt remaining butter, over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth; cook ONE minute to let it become golden brown.
• Whisk in half-n-half/cream, cook at medium heat, whisking constantly until it's thick and bubbly; stir in salt; add favorite cheese, stirring well until it is completely melted; pour over stuffed shells.
• Toast the bread, cut into small cubes (toast again to get maximum crispiness--without overly BROWNING).
• Combine in a bowl, the crumbs with shredded cheese mixture and melted butter; toss this and then sprinkle over the shells.
• Bake uncovered for 45 minutes (bubbly).

EASY STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add manicotti and boil for the 7-8 minutes, until almost tender*.
• Drain and rinse manicotti 2-3 times under cold water until cooled to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, pesto, salt, and pepper.
• Place ricotta mixture in a large piping bag or large freezer bag and snip the end.
• Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom.
• Fill each manicotti shell with ricotta cheese mixture and line up on top of the marinara sauce in the baking dish, dividing the ricotta evenly between the 12 manicotti.
• Top the filled manicotti with the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Lightly grease a piece of foil or lid and cover the baking dish. Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until heated through and pasta is tender. Serve.

CHRISTMAS EVE MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Whisk 4 eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a bowl; gradually whisk flour into eggs, alternating with milk, to make a smooth batter. Whisk melted butter into batter; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Pour vegetable oil into a small bowl. Heat a small skillet over medium heat; brush skillet with vegetable oil using a pastry brush. Ladle in enough batter to lightly cover the bottom of the skillet, about 1/4 cup; swirl skillet to cover bottom completely. Cook crepe until it turns lightly golden brown on the bottom; flip and cook until other side has small brown spots. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing the skillet with oil as needed to prevent crepes from sticking; set cooked crepes aside between layers of waxed paper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Lightly mix spinach, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, green onion, onion powder, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 eggs in a bowl until filling is thoroughly combined.
• Spread 1 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place a crepe onto a work surface and spoon about 3 tablespoons filling, or more as needed, in a line down the center of each crepe. Roll crepe over filling and set into sauce in pan; repeat with remaining crepes and filling, laying filled crepes into pan. Spread remaining marinara sauce over filled crepes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling and mozzarella cheese is melted and slightly browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

MAKE-AHEAD SPINACH MANICOTTI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley and seasonings. In another large bowl, mix spaghetti sauce and water; spread 1 cup into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish., Fill uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture; arrange over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce mixture over top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until manicotti is tender. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.