We’ve all been there: craving a rich, comforting Italian dinner but completely dreading the cleanup. Traditional manicotti is delicious, but wrestling with slippery, boiling-hot pasta shells and trying to stuff them without tearing them apart? No thank you.
That is exactly why this Easy stuffed manicotti is going to become a permanent fixture in your dinner rotation.
By skipping the boiling process entirely and letting the oven do the heavy lifting, we save time and keep our sanity intact. The secret lies in adding just a little extra water to a rich tomato sauce and sealing the pan tightly. The steam gently cooks the pasta to a perfect al dente while the creamy, garlic-infused ricotta and spinach filling gets hot and bubbly. It’s a restaurant-quality meal with a fraction of the effort.
Easy Stuffed Manicotti
What You’ll Need for this Easy Stuffed Manicotti
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1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
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1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
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½ cup minced onion
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1 large egg
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2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
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½ teaspoon pepper
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¼ teaspoon garlic powder
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1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
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½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
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1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells (uncooked)
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2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
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1 ½ cups water
Frozen chopped spinach
Ricotta cheese
Eggs
Manicotti shells
How to Make Easy stuffed manicotti
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Prep Your Base: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grab a large mixing bowl and whisk together your spaghetti sauce and water. Pour about 1 ½ cups of this thinned sauce right into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish to create a bed for your pasta.
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Whip Up the Filling: In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, completely dried spinach, onion, egg, parsley, pepper, garlic powder, 1 cup of mozzarella, and ¼ cup of Parmesan. Give it a really good stir until everything is perfectly incorporated.
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The Stuffing Hack: Scrape that beautiful cheese mixture into a piping bag (or just use a gallon zip-top bag and snip the corner off). Pipe the filling straight into your uncooked manicotti shells. Nestle them side-by-side in your baking dish.
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Drown the Pasta: Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the stuffed shells. It is absolutely crucial that every piece of pasta is covered by the liquid so it cooks evenly.
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Top and Seal: Scatter the last ½ cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan over the dish. Now, cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Don’t skip the foil—trapping that steam is the magic trick that cooks the raw pasta!
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Bake and Rest: Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a fork easily pierces the pasta. Let the dish rest for about 10 minutes before serving. It helps the cheese set up so you get a perfect, intact slice.
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Prep time: 20 minutes
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Cook time: 50 minutes
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Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
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Yield: 5 to 7 servings
Estimated Nutrition (Per Serving) about this Easy Stuffed Manicotti
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Calories: 385 kcal
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Protein: 21 g
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Carbohydrates: 42 g
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Fat: 15 g
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Fiber: 4 g
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Sodium: 950 mg
FAQ
Why is my filling watery? The main culprit is usually the frozen spinach. You have to squeeze it ruthlessly! After thawing, wrap the spinach in a clean kitchen towel and wring it out over the sink until absolutely no more green liquid drips out.
Can I make this Easy stuffed manicotti ahead of time? Yes, it is the ultimate prep-ahead meal. Assemble the entire pan, wrap it tightly, and stash it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready for dinner, just pop it in the oven (add about 10 extra minutes to the bake time to compensate for the cold dish).
Source: www.allrecipes.com
