This baked manicotti dish is smothered in marinara sauce, has a filling made of ricotta cheese, and is topped with mozzarella cheese that is oozing and melting. Make it for a special occasion, and you’ll see the expressions of delight on everyone’s faces.
It may come as a surprise, but this baked pasta meal is not only light and delectable, but it also lacks the thick and ultra-cheesy texture that is often associated with baked pasta dishes like lasagna and other similar dishes. A filling that is sensuous and creamy may be made by combining ricotta, parsley, and mozzarella, and then adding a dash of lemon to brighten it.
The meal is not even close to being boring, despite the fact that it has so few components. You may top it with sauce from a jar that you got at the supermarket, or you can whip up some marinara sauce on the fly.
Where Can I Find Manicotti?
Cannelloni is another name for manicotti, which is a kind of baked packed pasta also known as manicotti. In Italian, cannelloni literally translates to “big pipe,” whereas manicotti refers to muffs or sleeves. Both words refer to stuffed tubes of pasta.
It’s difficult to know what to name it, but let’s not be picky about terminology. You may refer to it anyway you want. Whether it’s manicotti or cannelloni, when it comes out of the oven doused in tomato sauce and covered with oozing mozzarella it’s going to make your mouth wet.
Instructions on How to Make Manicotti
Leave the shells with a little bit of rawness. Bring them to a boil for a little less time than the instructions on the packaging indicate. The pasta will undergo a second cooking process in the oven, and if the shells are overdone, it will be difficult to stuff them with the filling.
Make use of a pastry bag or a plastic bag in order to pipe the filling into the shells after they have been baked. First, fill one end of the shell, then flip it around and fill the other end. In the event that this does not work, you may try using a thin spoon to pack the filling into the shells.
Instead of shells, go with fresh spaghetti sheets instead. After cutting them into squares of 4 inches by 4 inches, you should boil them for approximately 30 seconds only to soften them, and then you should rinse them under cold water. After placing a line of the filling along the middle of each sheet using a spoon or a piping bag, roll the sheet into a tube. Position the tubes in the pan so that the seam side is facing down. When it comes to stuffing the pasta, this is perhaps the most straightforward approach to adopt.
Instead of making shells, you should create crepes. After you have filled the pasta sheets, lay them in the baking dish with the seams facing down. This will ensure that they bake evenly.
If the ricotta has too much liquid, drain it. Ricotta that is too runny may have any excess moisture squeezed out of it if it is spread out between several layers of paper towels and then dried under pressure. This prevents the filling from spilling out of the shells, which would result in cooked pasta that was more liquid and less firm.
Including Spinach in the Filling of the Pie
As was just discussed, you may create manicotti out of manicotti shells, pasta sheets, or crepes instead of using manicotti shells. The addition of spinach is yet another often used variant. Before slicing the frozen chopped spinach and mixing it into the filling, it is best to defrost a bag of frozen chopped spinach first, then place it on a dish towel and squeeze out as much excess moisture as you can. Having said that, I find that I like manicotti much more when the spinach is omitted. This allows the richness and delicacy of the filling to take center stage.
Prepared in Advance Manicotti
You have up to a day before you need to bake the manicotti before you can combine them with the sauce and cheese topping, cover them with plastic wrap and foil, and place them in the refrigerator.
Either baked or unbaked manicotti may be stored in the freezer for up to three months. After defrosting in the refrigerator overnight, proceed with baking as recommended.
The Manicotti Are Stuffed With Cheese
- PREP TIME
- 30 mins
50 MINUTES FOR THE COOKING TIME
RESTING TIME 10 minutes
A TOTAL OF NINETY MINUTES
SERVINGS Between four and six servings
You are free to purchase fresh pasta sheets instead of the shells. You’ll need a total of 12 squares, so cut them into squares of 4 inches each. They just need around 30 seconds in the boiling water to be pliable, after which you should rinse them under cold water. After placing a line of the filling along the middle of each sheet using a spoon or a piping bag, roll the sheet into a tube. Position the tubes in the pan so that the seam side is facing down.
Ingredients
- 1 package of dried manicotti shells (8 ounces), or around 12 shells total
Ricotta made from either whole or skim milk, 1 3/4 pounds (3 1/2 cups)
2 big egg yolks
8 ounces, or two cups’ worth. shredded mozzarella, split
2/3 cup of Parmesan that has been finely grated
1 teaspoon of lemon zest that has been coarsely grated
1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley, in addition to extra for the garnish
kosher salt, to taste, starting with a quarter of a teaspoon.
1/8 teaspoon of black pepper that has been freshly ground
a pinch of nutmeg, either powdered or grated
1 (25-ounce) container store-bought marinara sauce, or 2 1/2 cups homemade marinara, split - Method
To prepare the pasta:
Start the cooking process by bringing a big pot of salted water to a boil. When the water in the saucepan comes to a boil, add the manicotti and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes, which is 1 minute less than the instructions on the package state.
TIP RIGHT HERE!
The packets of manicotti shells typically weigh 8 ounces each. Cook all of the tubes if there are more than 12 of them in total. It’s possible that you have a number of additional shells, which would be a wise investment in case a few of them crack.
Since the pasta will continue to cook after it is placed in the oven, it should be served just short of al dente (very little underdone). Drain in a colander, then rinse well under a stream of cold water until the food is able to be handled.
Put together the filling by:
Ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the egg yolks, Parmesan, lemon zest, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg should be mixed together in a medium bowl. Add in the other ingredients.
Prepare the baking dish and preheat the oven to the appropriate temperature.
Put the oven on to preheat at 350 degrees F. Spread one cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish that is 9 inches by 13 inches.
To prepare the manicotti,
Place the filling in a gallon-sized zip-top bag, a pastry bag that has been fitted with a big round tip, or a piping bag. If you are using a plastic bag, ensure that the top is well sealed, and then twist the bag so that the ricotta is positioned at one of the bottom corners. Remove one of the bag’s corners by snipping it off with scissors. You should fill the tubes and then place each one in the prepared baking dish as you go along with the filling process.
Put the manicotti in the oven:
The remaining sauce should be poured over the pasta, and then the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella should be sprinkled on top. Wrap the baking dish in aluminum foil and cover the top with a piece of parchment paper to prevent the cheese from clinging to the surface. Bake for 35 minutes.
Take off the aluminum foil and the parchment paper, then put the baking dish back into the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the sauce has begun to bubble around the edges. Wait ten minutes before serving so that the manicotti has time to relax.
Put the manicotti in the oven:
The remaining sauce should be poured over the pasta, and then the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella should be sprinkled on top. Wrap the baking dish in aluminum foil and cover the top with a piece of parchment paper to prevent the cheese from clinging to the surface. Bake for 35 minutes.
Take off the aluminum foil and the parchment paper, then put the baking dish back into the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the sauce has begun to bubble around the edges. Wait ten minutes before serving so that the manicotti has time to relax.
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