Baked Manicotti

The secret to getting this Sunday night dinner worthy meal on the table in just over an hour?

Don’t boil the manicotti noodles before filling them!

Read on for my step by step instructions on how to throw together this delicious Three Cheese Manicotti, even on a busy weeknight!

How to make Cheesy Vegetarian Manicotti: 

*Printable recipe card available at the bottom of this post with full details*

You’ll start by combining ricotta, smoked mozzarella, chopped spinach (or arugula), an egg yolk, minced garlic, salt and pepper.

Transfer the filling mixture to a piping bag (or Ziploc baggy) and snip off the end about as wide as the opening of the manicotti.

Add a cup of spaghetti sauce to the baking dish. Fill uncooked noodles by filling each noodle halfway, then flipping the noodle around and filling from the other end. This technique will ensure that the entire inside of the noodle is filled.

Nestle the manicotti into the red sauce. And pour remaining sauce over top. Use a spatula to spread the sauce and ensure the noodles are completely covered.

Tear apart the fresh mozzarella and place it in an even layer on top of the noodles. Cover with foil and bake for 50-55 minutes or until noodles are cooked al dente.

Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Why I love this Three Cheese Manicotti so much: 

• It’s easy to make. No fancy kitchen gadgets or years of experience in the kitchen needed. This dish is simple and easy to prepare.
• The flavors are amazing. Have you added smoked cheese to a pasta dish before? It’s pretty much the best thing ever and my favorite way to add meaty flavor to a vegetarian dish.
• It takes less than hour from start to finish. The best part about this dish is that it screams Sunday night dinner but it’s only got 9 ingredients and takes little more than an hour to prepare.

Tips for making the best Vegetarian Cheesy Manicotti: 

• Take the extra 2 minutes to mince your own garlic. This is true for any recipe that calls for garlic. Always use fresh cloves of garlic that you have minced yourself. The jarred option might seem like a time saver, but you will definitely be able to taste a difference!
• Don’t over stuff the noodles. There is literally just enough filling to fill all 12 of the noodles. If you over stuff them, chances are good you won’t have enough filling to fill all of them.
• Don’t worry if it looks like too much sauce. It will look like a lot of sauce at first, but trust me it’s not! The moisture from the sauce is what’s going to cook the noodles so the dish needs to be real saucy in the beginning. After almost an hour in the oven a lot of the sauce will be absorbed into the pasta.

Other easy pasta dishes you’ll love:

• 30 Minute Baked Ravioli
• Easy No Boil Lasagna
• One Pot Smoked Gouda & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
• One Pot Bacon & Blue Cheese Bucatini
• One Pot Mediterranean Linguine

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? LEAVE A REVIEW!

If you made this recipe I’d love to hear how it turned out! Feel free to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you guys and respond to each and every comment that I receive! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for the all latest recipes and a sneak peek at the behind the scenes adventures on Midwest Foodie!

This recipe was originally shared in May 2018. It has been updated to include process shots, tips for making the dish perfectly and an improved recipe in February 2019.

Three Cheese Baked Manicotti

★★★★★ 5 from 9 reviews

• Author: Midwest Foodie
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8-10 servings
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stovetop/Oven
• Cuisine: Italian

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Description

Don’t boil your noodles! Layer them with your cheese and sauce and bake away. That’s the secret that makes this dish easy enough for a random Tuesday night dinner with your family.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups of my Secret Family Recipe Spaghetti Sauce (or your favorite brand)
• 8 oz. uncooked manicotti noodles
• 2 cups fresh spinach (or arugula), chopped
• 16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
• 8 oz. smoked mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley + more for garnish
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella
• Kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine chopped spinach, ricotta, smoked mozzarella, parsley, egg yolk, garlic, a large pinch of pepper and a couple large pinches of salt.
2. Transfer to a piping bag (a gallon Ziploc baggy works well too).
3. Spread 1 cup of spaghetti sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
4. Cut the tip off your piping bag about the width of the mancotti noodles. You’ll want a large opening so you can easily pipe the filling into the noodles. No need to cook them before you bake. They will do their magic in the oven and hold together much better.
5. Pipe the filling into one end of the noodle, then flip the noodle and fill the other side. This technique will ensure that the entire inside of the noodle is filled.
6. Nestle filled manicotti into the baking dish. Then pour remaining sauce in an even layer on top of the noodles.
7. Tear fresh mozzarella into bite size chunks and sprinkle in an even layer over top of the noodles.
8. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until noodles are al dente.
9. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!

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Notes

Take the extra 2 minutes to mince your own garlic. This is true for any recipe that calls for garlic. Always use fresh cloves of garlic that you have minced yourself. The jarred option might seem like a time saver, but you will definitely be able to taste a difference!

Don’t over stuff the noodles. There is literally just enough filling to fill all 12 of the noodles. If you over stuff them, chances are good you won’t have enough filling to fill all of them.

Don’t worry if it looks like too much sauce. It will look like a lot of sauce at first, but trust me it’s not! The moisture from the sauce is what’s going to cook the noodles so the dish needs to be real saucy in the beginning. After almost an hour in the oven a lot of the sauce will be absorbed into the pasta.

Keywords: canelloni, baked manicotti, cheese manicotti, vegetarian baked pasta, baked pasta, no boil noodles