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Home > Recipes > Dinner > Easy Cheesy Manicotti >

Easy Cheesy Manicotti

Written by Chrisy | 11/12/15

Dinner Recipes pasta popular

Bring a restaurant classic to your dinner table with this easy cheese manicotti recipe. With tender noodles, rich red sauce, and the delicious combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, this dish makes a perfect weeknight dinner and great leftovers.

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Easy Cheesy Manicotti! Bring a restaurant classic to your dinner table with this easy cheese manicotti recipe. With tender noodles, rich red sauce, and the delicious combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, this dish makes a perfect weeknight dinner and great leftovers. #sponsored | HomemadeHooplah.com

About Easy Cheesy Manicotti

An easy italian dinner that makes for great leftovers.

Since we’re all friends here, I have a confession to make:

There’s not much I wouldn’t do for stuffed pasta.

Tortellini, ravioli, jumbo shells, you name it; if cheese and pasta are involved you can bet that I’ve got my plate out, waiting to be served.

But despite this little obsession of mine, I hardly ever have time to make stuffed pasta at home, and my time (and life!) is only getting more chaotic as we approach the end of the year.

This means I tend to take the “easy” way out and get my fancy pasta fix at my favorite Italian restaurant.

However, we all know that eating out every night isn’t always possible, especially now that the holidays are approaching. Gotta save some of that $$, amirite?!

So, I figured it was high time that I honed my own “Stuffed Pasta Cooking Skills” (official term), especially since Bertolli just introduced their new Riserva line – which just happens to include a Parmigiano-Regginao Marinara sauce. And the best part? Having a high quality and ready-made marinara sauce

And the best part? Having a high quality and ready-made marinara sauce reduces the typical cook time of my favorite pasta recipes in half.

And a faster cooking time = more time for me to plan what to do with all the money all I’ll be saving for the holidays by not going to the restaurant.

Cheese manicotti made with a delicious red sauce.

The pasta itself turned out amazingly well. It was a little tricky to fill the manicotti noodles with all the ricotta cheesy goodness, but being the classy girl that I am, I ended up using a spoon and my fingers.

It might not have been the cleanest way to go about it, but it certainly got the job done – just like the pros do at the restaurant!

And the Bertolli sauce was the perfect touch to liven up this dish.

A recipe tutorial on how you make cheese manicotti.

How do you stuff manicotti shells?

Personally, I like to fill manicotti by hand. I use a spoon (or sometimes even my fingers) and gently feed in the cheese mix into the manicotti. Once I’ve filled one end of the pasta, I flip the manicotti and fill the other end.

However, some readers have asked for easier (or cleaner!) methods for filling manicotti – and, in return, other readers responded with their suggestions.

For example, reader Diane suggested that you can pipe the cheese filling into the manicotti by putting it in a Ziploc bag (quart sized) and cutting a hole in one of the corners (just like you would for icing). This way you can easily fill the manicotti without all the mess.

Sher, another reader, had another great idea for filling manicotti. Once the pasta has cooled, you can cut a line down the side of the manicotti, fill it with filling, then press the manicotti back together. The filling will help “glue” the manicotti back together. Then you can just place the manicotti seam side down in the baking dish to hide the line.

notes & tips for cheese manicotti

  • I’m a big fan of Bertolli, but it’s okay if you don’t have any on hand. This recipe can be made with any type of marinara or spaghetti sauce. I’ve also used this Homestyle Meat Sauce and loved it!

More great pasta recipes

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          An easy italian dinner with tips on how you stuff manicotti shells.

          Recipe Details

          PRINT THIS RECIPE
          RATING:
          3.69 from 54 votes
          Easy Cheesy Manicotti! Bring a restaurant classic to your dinner table with this easy cheese manicotti recipe. With tender noodles, rich red sauce, and the delicious combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, this dish makes a perfect weeknight dinner and great leftovers. #sponsored | HomemadeHooplah.com

          Easy Cheesy Manicotti

          Bring a restaurant classic to your dinner table with this easy cheese manicotti recipe. With tender noodles, rich red sauce, and the delicious combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, this dish makes a perfect weeknight dinner and great leftovers.

          Prep: 20 minutes
          Cook: 50 minutes
          Calories: 486 kcal
          Yields: 4 servings

          Ingredients

          • 8 pieces manicotti
          • 15 oz ricotta cheese
          • 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded (plus more for topping)
          • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
          • 2 large egg
          • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (plus more for garnish)
          • 1/2 tsp salt to taste
          • 1/4 tsp black pepper to taste
          • 24 oz Bertolli Riserva Sauce any flavor
          US Customary - Metric

          Instructions

          1. Cook manicotti per package instructions, drain, and lay on parchment paper to dry and cool.

          2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, then spread a thin layer of Bertolli Riserva sauce along the bottom of the dish. Set dish nearby.

          3. In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper until smooth.
          4. Using a spoon (and your fingers!) gently feed the cheese mix into the cooled manicotti noodles. Tip: pack one end until full, then turn the manicotti around and fill the other end.

          5. Place filled manicotti on top of sauce in prepared baking dish. Arrange manicotti in a single layer. When all manicotti are filled, cover the tops with the renaming Bertolli Riserva sauce.
          6. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top (optional). Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

          7. Serve cheese manicotti immediately with more parsley on top as garnish.

          Nutrition

          486kcal | Fat: 32g | Saturated fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 1859mg | Potassium: 773mg | Carbohydrates: 15g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Protein: 34g | Vitamin A: 1980% | Vitamin C: 14.4% | Calcium: 690% | Iron: 3%
          I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I'm not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.

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          Recipe shared by Chrisy

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          Reader Interactions

          Comments

          1. Samantha
            11/12/15
            Reply

            This looks heavenly! Yum!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Samantha!

              • JoAnn
                01/14/18

                I have also added crumbled sausage to the filling for a change up.

              • Abby
                01/14/18

                OH I was just thinking how good sausage would be in this too.

          2. Vicky @ Avocdo Pesto
            11/12/15
            Reply

            Stuffed pasta is the best — even if it gets tricky to stuff and you gotta use your fingers! This looks delish!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Vicky!

            • Patty
              03/25/16
              Reply

              I split the cooked shells all the way down the center lengthwise, then stuff with filling and place in pan on the seam. Works for me!

              • Chrisy
                03/28/16

                Your way sounds so much easier Patty 🙂 Will have to try that next time!

          3. Kaitie @ Fuchsia Freezer
            11/12/15
            Reply

            you had me at easy & cheesy! This looks like a classic dish with all the flavours one would expect to be bursting from there! i love this and will make it for dinner one night next week!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Kaitie! If you made it, I hope you liked it 😀

          4. Angie
            11/12/15
            Reply

            That looks so darn good!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Angie!

          5. hayli
            11/12/15
            Reply

            YUMM…I love mannicotti and I can never find a good recipe for it so this sounds really good. I may have to try it.

            Hayli at Haylidejong.com

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Hayli!

          6. Ashley
            11/12/15
            Reply

            I love cheese manicoti but have never figured out a great way to make it. Thanks for sharing!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thank you Ashley 😀

          7. Branson
            11/12/15
            Reply

            Oh I love cheesy italian food! This looks SO good!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Branson!

          8. Joy @ Joy Love Food
            11/12/15
            Reply

            I love stuffed pasta dishes too, this looks delicious, I will have to give it a try!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Joy!

          9. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet
            11/12/15
            Reply

            These manicotti look and sound scrumptious! Bertolli’s new Riserva sauces are yummy, I just recently tried the one with white truffles.

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Oo, the sauce WOULD be good with white truffles. Will have to try that!

          10. Thalia @ butter and brioche
            11/12/15
            Reply

            Oh god this looks hearty and delicious. I love a good pasta sauce and definitely need to try this one.

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Thalia! 😀

          11. Ludmilla
            11/12/15
            Reply

            Perfect with a glass of wine!! Yummy!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Sounds like my kind of dinner 😀

          12. Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert
            11/12/15
            Reply

            My an old friend of mine loves stuffed pasta shell meals! He would adore it if I made this for him!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Sabrina!

          13. Sharee @ Savory Spicerack
            11/13/15
            Reply

            my kid loves this dish! i will have to try out your recipe for our next go at it! pinning & stumbling!

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Thanks Sharee! I hope the family likes it 😀

          14. Diane
            11/15/15
            Reply

            Thanks for this great-looking easy recipe! I may try to use a large zip-lock bag with a corner snipped off to fill the manicotti with the cheese mixture (home-made piping bag).

            • Chrisy
              11/22/15
              Reply

              Awesome tip! I’ll have to try that as well 😀

          15. Heidi Q
            12/27/15
            Reply

            As Diane said above, use either a pastry bag or a Ziploc with about a 1″ corner hole cut in it and they will fill so quickly and easily!

          16. Sher
            03/06/16
            Reply

            TIP: After cooked manicotti noodles have cooled, cut a slit down one side, lengthwise. Pull apart and fill (SOOO much easier than with whole shells). Once filled, the filling mix “glues” together the manicotti noodle and it will stay together. Bake as recipe states. Saves time and frustration.

            • Chrisy
              03/07/16
              Reply

              LOVE this tip! Thank you Sher 🙂

          17. Teresa
            03/20/16
            Reply

            This was really good! Everybody in my family loved it! We will be making this again.

            • Chrisy
              03/28/16
              Reply

              Awesome to hear Teresa! I’m so glad it was a hit 😀

          18. Michelle
            03/31/16
            Reply

            I’ve made this recipe several times now. Soooo good and easy!

            • Chrisy
              04/04/16
              Reply

              Love to hear that Michelle! 😀 So glad you liked it!

          19. Caity
            05/24/16
            Reply

            Something came to mind when making this dish and it was much easier than I thought. I put the manicotti filling in a plastic bag and piped it into the manicotti. Easy and much less of a mess. I didn’t read through all of he comments so sorry if someone else already mentioned this. We loved the recipe!!

            • Chrisy
              05/27/16
              Reply

              Great tip Caity! Your method sounds SO much easier! 😀

          20. Joyce
            03/16/17
            Reply

            I know I would love this along with my son, age 56! I buy this when I go to the Olive Garden! Their’s is very good. However, homemade any thing is better, right?? I have Stage III necrosis in my left femur and I do not have too many “GOOD” days. I hope I will be able to make it soon.:) Yours looks easy!!

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