Let’s talk ultimate comfort food! I’m talking delicious pasta stuffed with a smooth, creamy filling of rich Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheeses, punctuated with garlic, parsley and lemon and topped with zesty marinara sauce. Classic 3 Cheese Manicotti is the best of what good pasta dishes are all about! And it’s not all that difficult, if you know one easy secret.
Comfort Food That Does It All
I’ve always loved cheesy, saucy, romantic pasta dishes. There is just something about them that says home cooked comfort food. They are a perfect go-to for almost everything!
- when having guests over for dinner,
- to take to a family who needs a meal,
- a romantic dinner for two
- holidays
- or just when you want to sit down and look at your own family’s faces across the table.
There’s no better incentive for slowing down schedules and making time for the dinner table than the beckoning of melting cheese and bubbling sauce, like you’ll find in this manicotti recipe.
The Trick To Filling Manicotti
And while Baked Manicotti has always been one of my favorite dishes, it wasn’t easy filling those slippery, easy-to-break pasta shells until I learned a simple secret that made all the difference. It’s all in how you cook the manicotti noodles. And drain them. I’m spilling the tea (or pasta…) below.
Recipe Ingredients & Overview
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in these next sections along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- manicotti shells
- pasta sauce (or your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce- see this recipe for a homemade meat sauce with ground beef)
- ricotta cheese
- mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- parsley
- egg
- lemon juice
- garlic, salt, pepper
- piping bag or large plastic zip top bag large plastic zip top bag with corner of the bag snipped off
- (optional) Italian seasoning
The Simple Secret to Easy Baked Manicotti
First, the pasta should only be boiled for 5-6 minutes in a large pot of salted water. we only need to soften the pasta tubes, not cook them all the way through. Keeping the pasta very al dente, or quite firm, makes it much, much easier to work with. The pasta will finish cooking while baking in the oven smothered in sauce.
Secondly, when the manicotti shells are done, never drain them in the colander. Ever. This was always my biggest mistake. Piled in that colander on top of one another, my shells would collapse, split and stick together. That doesn’t make filling them easy!
Remove the pasta straight from the boiling water with tongs or large slotted skimmer and place them in a single layer on wax paper. This makes all the difference in the world when it comes to having lovely, sturdy pasta to quickly fill.
There’s nothing like a wonderfully inviting pasta dish to warm your friends and family when the temperatures drop. And it’s even better when they are easy to put together and bake!
Can I Make This Dish Ahead of Time?
- Yes, you can either just make the filling a day ahead or make the filling and stuff the pasta. Just cover tightly and put in the refrigerator without the sauce. Also bring your dish to room temperature before placing it in your preheated oven.
Can I Freeze 3 Cheese Baked Manicotti?
- Sure can! Just make your filling, stuff the shells, cover with sauce and cheese place in an airtight container and store in the freezer. It can be frozen after it’s baked too, but I think the pasta is better if frozen before baking. PRO TIP: Make a double batch and freeze the second batch for an easy meal later!
What’s The Difference Between Boiling and Not Boiling Your Pasta Beforehand?
- Quite simply, it’s 30 minutes cooking time. That’s right! Not boiling the pasta might seem like it saves time on the front end, but it takes an extra 30-35 minutes to bake those uncooked manicotti shells! I would rather spend 5-6 minutes boiling the pasta in the beginning and save 30 minutes later.
- Plus, you have to add water to your dish– translation: add a bunch of water to your sauce. So instead of the pasta soaking up the flavors of the filling and sauce as it bakes, everything is just watered down…
Other Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy White Ravioli Casserole
- Rotel Chicken & Spaghetti
- Crowd Pleasing Lasagna
- Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole
- Spaghetti Stuffed Garlic Bread
- Pizza Stuffed Pasta Shells
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW!
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Classic 3 Cheese Baked Manicotti
Equipment
- piping bag
Ingredients
- 10 Manicotti pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 15 ounces Ricotta cheese
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, divided into 1 ½ C & ½ C
- ½ cups Parmesan cheese, divided into ¼ C & ¼ C
- 1 large Egg beaten
- ½ cup Chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 jar pasta sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- In a large pot, bring water, olive oil and 2 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add manicotti shells. Pot should be large enough to allow manicotti shells plenty of room to move while boiling. Boil for 6 minutes only. Gently remove pasta from pot with tongs or large spoon. Place in a single layer on wax paper. Do not drain in colander. Pasta should be al dente.
- In a medium bowl, mix together Ricotta, 1 ½ C Mozarella, ¼ C Parmesan and beaten egg. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic. Spoon mixture into piping bag or large zip top bag and snip off the corner.
- Spread ½ of pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 or large casserole dish. Using the piping bag, fill each manicotti shell with cheese mixture and place side by side in casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce over the manicotti. Top with rest of cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of extra parsley before serving, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Original recipe posted 2019
Made this tonight and it was really good. Will definitely make again!
Hi, Jennifer! I am so glad you made this manicotti! All that cheesy goodness… yum. It’s hard to resist!
My family loves this receipe! Always asking when I’ll make it again!
Hi, Janice! That’s awesome! Thank you so much!