Ingredients
Manicotti
- 10 manicotti shells, boil extra in case some break
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 5 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
- 2 eggs
- 3 cloves garlic
- 24 oz. marinara sauce
Seasoning
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- ½ tsp. Salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Reserve 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese for the top of the manicotti.
- Combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, remaining mozzarella, cream cheese, eggs, and seasonings in a large bowl. Set aside in the fridge.
- Boil shells in salted water for 1-2 minutes less than al dente, set a timer to avoid overcooking them. Drain in a colander and gently rinse with cold water until the shells are cool. Set aside.
- Spread half of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Use a spoon or a piping bag to fill each manicotti shell, letting a little extend over the top. Transfer the filled shells to the casserole dish.
- Top with remaining marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 10 more minutes. If desired, broil at 425° for 1 minute, watch it carefully during this time. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with Garlic Bread with Cheese
Comments
- See blog post for instructions on how to add meat and/or spinach.
- Boil extra shells in case some break during the boiling or draining process.
- This is one case where I like to use jarred, finely minced garlic (instead of fresh cloves). The flavor is more subtle which blends into the filling nicely.
- Low moisture whole milk mozzarella melts the best in this recipe, shred it from a block instead of using packaged shredded cheese. It will melt and taste much better.
- I use Dragone for the ricotta/mozzarella, BelGioioso for the Parmesan, and Philadelphia for the cream cheese.
- Rao’s is my go-to brand for marinara sauce, (it’s really good)!
Nutrition
Calories:452cal (23%), Carbohydrates:61g (20%), Protein:16g (32%), Fat:17g (26%), Saturated Fat:6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat:2g, MonounsaturatedFat:9g, Cholesterol:14mg (5%), Sodium:1531mg (67%), Potassium:869mg (25%), Fiber:6g (25%), Sugar:9g (10%), Vitamin A:1427IU (29%), Vitamin C:49mg (59%), Calcium:126mg (13%), Iron:4mg (22%)
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cooking Time
40 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
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