Best Stuffed Manicotti Recipes

STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Par-boil manicotti noodles, drain.
• Place in a bowl of cold water to prevent sticking.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine eggs, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella,cheddar and ricotta cheeses and the seasonings.
• Drain shells, pat dry with paper towels.
• Fill shells with cheese mixture, spread 1/2 cup of the prepared spaghetti sauce over bottom of shallow 3 quart baking dish.
• Arrange filled shells over sauce; cover with remaining sauce and spoon remaining ricotta over each shell.
• Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheeses.
• Bake covered loosely with foil for 40 minutes.

CHEESE STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef, onion, and roasted garlic in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer until pan juices evaporate, about 10 minutes more. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook manicotti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
• Mix mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Spoon a generous amount of the cheese mixture into each manicotti shell.
• Pour enough tomato-beef sauce to cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti over sauce; pour remaining sauce over pasta. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over manicotti and return to the oven. Bake until cheese filling is melted, 10 to 15 minutes more.

CHEESE STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F
• Bring 5 quarts of water to a rapid boil. For best results, add 1 tablespoons of salt.
• Add pasta and stir; return to rapid boil.
• Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes.
• Remove noodles from boiling water and place them in a bowl of cold water. Tubes will be firm; making them easy to fill but will finish cooking and become soft and tender while cooking in the oven.
• In a large bowl stir together ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley and seasonings.
• Pour enough spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 13x9-inch pan to just cover the bottom of the pan.
• Spoon about 1/3 cup cheese mixture into each pasta tube; place in the pre-sauced pan.
• Pour the remainder of sauce over filled pasta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
• Cover with foil; bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• Remove from the oven and serve.

CRAB-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in Parmesan cheese., In a small bowl, combine crab, ricotta, mozzarella, lemon-pepper seasoning, pepper and garlic powder. Stuff shells with crab mixture. Spread 1/4 cup sauce in an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with stuffed manicotti. Pour remaining sauce over top. , Bake, covered, until heated through, 25-30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with parsley and, if desired, additional grated Parmesan cheese.

BEEF STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti according to package directions; drain. In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, oregano and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup cheese; stir until melted., Stuff half meat mixture into manicotti shells; arrange in a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Spoon remaining meat mixture over shells. , Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion and green pepper in olive oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in all remaining sauce ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover, simmer 10-15 minutes longer or until thickened. , Meanwhile, for manicotti, cook beef and onion in a skillet until the meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain; cool slightly. , Squeeze spinach thoroughly to remove excess water; add to the skillet with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate 1-1/2 cups of the sauce (makes 4 cups), for another recipe. , Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Stuff manicotti with the meat mixture; arrange over the sauce. Pour another 1-1/2 cups of sauce on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°.

CRAB-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti shells and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, crab, parsley and onion. Spoon into the manicotti shells. Place in a buttered 11x7 inch baking dish.
• In a saucepan, stir together the Alfredo sauce and chicken broth. Season with sugar, basil, marjoram, garlic powder and thyme. Heat until warm over medium heat. Pour over the shells in the baking dish.
• Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

EASY, STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Spread 2 tblsps of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
• Combine first 8 ingredients together in a bowl.
• Take shells and stuff with the meat mixture.(I find it easier to use pastry bags filled with the meat mixture to stuff the shells or you can cut the end of a sandwich baggie and stuff them that way. Less messy and much faster.).
• Place shells in pan and pour remaining sauce of shells.
• Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and top with mozzeralla cheese. Return to oven and bake and additional 15 minutes.
• Remove and enjoy.
• Goes wonderfully with a tossed salad and garlic bread.

BEEF-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Brown ground beef & drain.
• Cook manicotti using package directions.
• Do not drain. Run cold water over it until water in pan is cold; leave manicotti in water until needed.
• Meanwhile, combine ground beef, egg, mozzarella, bread, milk, salt & pepper. Stuff each manicotti shell. Place in greased 13x9x2" baking pan. Pour spaghetti sauce over top, cover with foil & bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. (1 hour if made ahead & chilled.).
• Pass grated parmesan cheese when serving.

STUFFED MANICOTTI WITH FRESH MARINARA SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the crepes (crespelle):
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter. Gradually whisk in the flour and salt until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour until slightly thickened.
• Spray an 8-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place the pan over medium heat. With a small ladle, pour about 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan. Turn the pan at a 45 degree angle to coat the pan evenly so the batter forms a perfect circle. Cook the crepe only until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Turn the crepe over with a spatula and cook the other side only until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Slide the crepe onto a 12-inch platter and continue the process with the remaining batter. Stack the crepes between waxed paper so they don't stick. You can prepare these crepes a day in advance covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. No need to reheat the crepes before filling and baking.
• Make the ricotta filling:
• In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the ricotta filling. With a large wooden spoon or spatula, stir all the ingredients until well blended. Store covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make this filling the day before.
• Make the marinara sauce:
• In a large heavy nonreactive saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant but NOT browned. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and crush further with a potato masher. Simmer 30 minutes, slightly covered, on medium-low heat, stirring every so often.
• Add the parsley, basil leaves and salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for another 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced. Taste and re-season as necessary.
• Put it all together:
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1 cup of the prepared marinara sauce.
• Spoon 3 tablespoons of the prepared ricotta filling 1 inch from the edge of a crepe. Roll evenly into a log, keeping the filling even as you roll. Repeat with the remaining crepes. Place manicotti seam side down and side by side in the sauced baking pan.
• Spoon 1 to 2 cups of sauce over the top of the manicotti. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan.
• Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and bake about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and sides are bubbling. Let rest about 15 minutes before serving to firm up the manicotti filling.

SPINACH & CHEESE STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350* F.
• Combine sauce and sausage in the same skillet sausage was cooked, keep warm.
• In a large bowl, mix spinach, cheeses, eggs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir together until well blended.
• Place about 2 cups sauce in a 9X13 inch casserole dish. Spread it around to cover the bottom.
• Now, to fill the manicotti. You can do this however you wish. You can use a pastry bag, or a zip-lock bag with a corner cut, or a spoon. I chose to use an old baby spoon (from when my daughter was a baby, the kind with the rubber temperature controlled end). I had fantastic results doing it that way. I highly recommend doing it that way. You may have to fill half, turn manicotti around and fill from the other end, as I did. Try to get as much filling in as possible, letting it over flow from the ends. Place the filled shell into the sauce-lined dish. Repeat with the remaining manicotti shells, and fill the dish with the stuffed shells, until you either run out of room, or shells or filling. I ran out of room first, I got twelve into my casserole dish. (I did have left over filling, which I froze.) You could also use two separate smaller dishes, and freeze one for another meal.
• Cover pasta with sauce, you don't have to use it all, just make sure all the exposed manicotti are covered in sauce, about 2 ½ cups. Place sliced mozzarella on top of sauce and sprinkle remaining ½ cup shredded cheese mix over the mozzarella. At this point, you can cover with foil and refrigerate until you're ready to bake, or you can cover with foil and place it in the oven immediately.
• Bake, covered with foil, 50 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
• Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
• Tips:.
• It's perfectly fine if you want to use full fat versions of the cheeses, we just prefer the low fat and fat free versions.
• It's perfectly fine to leave the spinach out and turn this into just a cheese manicotti.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Divide mozzarella cheese into 3 portions.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook manicotti in boiling water, stirring occasionally until softened slightly but still firm, about 7 minutes. Drain and rest in a bowl of cold water.
• Combine spinach, Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese, and 1 portion mozzarella cheese in a large bowl; mix well and season with salt and pepper. Spoon fill mixture into each manicotti shell. Divide stuffed shells evenly between two 9x13-inch baking dishes. Pour 1 jar spaghetti sauce over each baking dish and sprinkle with equal portions mozzarella cheese. Cover both baking dishes with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly, about 45 minutes.

EASY CHICKEN STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix Alfredo sauce and water in a bowl; spread about 1/3 sauce mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Season chicken tenders with garlic powder and stuff chicken into manicotti shells; arrange manicotti in prepared baking dish. Pour remaining 2/3 sauce over manicotti and sprinkle with steak seasoning. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until pasta is tender, about 1 hour. Remove foil and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over manicotti. Continue to bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more.

STUFFED MANICOTTI ALFREDO

Steps:

• Prepare the alfredo sauce. Melt the butter in a med. saucepan. Whisk in cream and Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Simmer for 15 minutes on low heat, being careful not to boil or let stick. Remove from heat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Prepare the filling. In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, 2 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg and seasonings.
• Make sure shells are drained well.
• Spread a thin layer of alfredo sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Using a pastry bag or zip-top bag, fill the shells and arrange them on the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the shells. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 minutes more or until cheese is just melted, but not browned and manicotti shells are heated through.

VEGETABLE-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, combine all filling ingredients; mix well. Fill each cooked manicotti with vegetable mixture.
• Place 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in ungreased 12x8-inch (2-quart) baking dish. Place filled manicotti over sauce. Pour remaining 1 cup spaghetti sauce over manicotti. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake at 400°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover dish; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

CHICKEN ALFREDO STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Bring chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan. Add chicken breasts. Cook until chicken can be easily pulled apart with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool until easily handled. Shred using 2 forks.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook manicotti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until still firm to the bite, about 7 minutes. Drain.
• Mix shredded chicken, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, mushrooms, green onions, and garlic together in a bowl. Pour in enough Alfredo sauce until filling has a thick and creamy consistency.
• Spoon chicken filling into a piping bag, reserving about 1/2 cup of the filling in the bowl. Pipe filling into manicotti.
• Mix remaining Alfredo sauce with reserved chicken filling in the bowl.
• Arrange stuffed manicotti in a baking dish. Cover evenly with Alfredo sauce mixture until there are no dry spots. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese on top. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 50 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until cheese starts to brown, about 10 minutes.

SEAFOOD STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• In a wide fry pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and carrot and cook until soft (don't overcook).
• Stir in parsley, diced tomatoes with liquid, chicken broth, and basil.
• Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or until sauce thickens, then set aside.
• In a large bowl combine crab, shrimp, green onions, and fontina cheese. Set filling aside.
• Cook manicotti in boiling water, according to package directions, until slightly firm - do not overcook!
• Rinse cooked manicotti with cold water and drain well. Set aside.
• Now prepare the FONTINA WHITE SAUCE recipe as follows:.
• In a wide fry pan over medium heat, melt butter or margarine. Add onion and cook until soft.
• Blend in flour and cook, stirring until bubbly.
• Gradually pour in milk and chicken broth, cooking and stirring until sauce thickens and boils.
• Remove from heat and add shredded fontina cheese, dry vermouth, nutmeg, and white pepper. Still just until cheese melts.
• CASSEROLE ASSEMBLY:.
• Stuff each manicotti with the seafood filling (roughly about 4 tablespoons).
• Spoon half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Arrange filled pasta side by side in the sauce.
• Pour some of the sauce into the casserole but not directly onto the manicotti. (remainder of sauce can be offered separately).
• Pour the Fontina White Sauce down the center of the casserole (lengthwise).
• Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. (remaining Parmesan is sprinkled after baking).
• At this point you may cool, cover, and refrigerate until next day.
• Bake uncovered at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and heated through. (35 minutes if refrigerated).
• Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese over top and offer as a side any remaining sauce.

CHEESE-STUFFED MANICOTTI (UNCOOKED NOODLES)

Steps:

• In medium bowl combine ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper, and any optional ingredients.
• Stuff shells by repeatedly twisting uncooked noodles against the bottom of the bowl.
• Place stuffed manicotti in 9x13 inch pan. (Leave one shell empty from box in order to accommodate all manicotti into pan).
• In small bowl empty jar of Prego.
• Fill empty Prego jar with about 1 cup of water and shake to grab remaining sauce from jar and pour into bowl.
• Stir sauce then pour over manicotti noodles.
• Cover with foil and freeze.
• Heat oven to 375. Cook for 45 minutes covered and 45 minutes uncovered, or until the sauce is bubbling on the sides.

HAM-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti according to package directions; set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Remove from the heat. Add the ham, mushrooms, half of Swiss and Parmesan cheeses; set aside. , In a small saucepan, saute green pepper in butter until tender. Stir in flour until combined. Add milk; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir a quarter of the sauce into ham mixture. , Stuff each shell with about 1/3 cup of filling. Place in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with paprika. , Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley and remaining Swiss cheese before serving.

EASY CHEESE-STUFFED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti acoording to package directions.
• Combine cheeses, parslet, salt, and pepper and spooon into manicotti.
• Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch baking pan.
• Arrange manicotti in single layer over sauce.
• Add remaining sauce.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and abke 15 minutes.