Cheese Manicotti
This recipe for manicotti is made with ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, parmesan cheese and lots of fresh basil then smothered with pasta sauce and baked till piping hot.
Servings: 14 manicotti
Ingredients
- 8 ounce box of manicotti (14 pasta shells)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 32 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 8 ounces
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided 4 ounces
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups marinara sauce (24 ounces)
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13 by 9 inch baking dish and a baking pan with non-stick oil spray, reserve.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook the pasta tubes for 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and place on the oiled baking pan. Allow the pasta to cool while preparing the filling.
- In a large bowl, add the ricotta, Mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, garlic, basil salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk the eggs together in a small dish, then add them to the cheese mixture and gently combine the filling.
- Spread 1-½ cups of the pasta sauce over the bottom of the reserved baking dish and keep at the ready.
- Scoop ½ of the filling into a plastic food bag, snip off the corner with scissors. Working with one pasta tube at a time, pipe the filling into the tube. Arrange the filled tube in the dish of marinara sauce. Repeat with the remaining pasta tubes and filling.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top of the filled pasta tubes. Spray a piece of foil with non-stick oil and cover the dish.Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 20 minutes then remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly.
- Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top, garnish with chopped basil and serve immediately.
Notes
- The pasta tubes will be partially cooked for 7-minutes, they will finish cooking in the sauce during baking.
- When piping the filling into the pasta tubes it will be more manageable to divide the filling in half to pipe.
- Alternative to piping the filling the tubes can be filled with a small appetizer spoon.
- Fourteen manicotti shells fit snugly in a 13x9-inch pan. For a bit more breathing room, use two pans to keep them from crowding together.
Nutrition
Serving: 1manicotti | Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 611mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 759IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 1mg
