Martha Stewart Susan’s Manicotti is an easy baked pasta for your next potluck or family dinner, stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan in bubbling marinara. The filling comes together in one bowl, so this comfort food classic is on the table in about an hour.
Baked manicotti goes from pan to table with garlic bread and a green salad for a crowd-pleasing weeknight dinner. Give the shells the full 40 minutes under foil, because undercooked pasta in the center ruins the whole dish.
Martha Stewart Susan’s Manicotti
Course: DinnerCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes50
minutes715
kcalShells stuffed to bursting with sweetened ricotta and two melty cheeses, baked under a blanket of marinara until the top is golden brown and crisp.
Ingredients
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cups (6 ounces) grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
18 manicotti shells
1 recipe Susan’s Tomato Sauce or 1 32-ounce jar marinara sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix the filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg, sugar and parsley; season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
- Stuff and bake: Spread half the marinara in the bottom of a 9-by-13 inch baking dish. Fill each shell with ricotta mixture and arrange in an even layer in dish. Top with remaining 2 cups marinara. Cover with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling and shells are tender, about 40 minutes.
- Brown the top: Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over top, return to oven, and bake until cheese is browned in spots, about 10 minutes.
FAQs
What cheese can you swap in for ricotta in manicotti?
Cottage cheese works if you blend it smooth first, and it cuts about 40 calories per serving. A 50/50 mix of ricotta and mascarpone makes the filling richer and creamier, but adds more fat. Stick with low-moisture mozzarella for the best melt inside the shells.
How long does leftover manicotti keep in the fridge?
Covered tightly, it keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat single portions in the microwave at 50% power for 2 to 3 minutes so the shells do not toughen up. The filling dries out past day 4, so freeze any extra in foil-wrapped portions for up to 3 months.
Can you assemble manicotti ahead of time?
Build the whole dish, cover it with foil, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Add 10 to 15 extra minutes of bake time since it goes into the oven cold. Do not stuff the shells more than a day ahead, because the pasta absorbs moisture from the filling and gets soggy.
Why does this manicotti recipe add sugar to the ricotta?
The sugar balances the acidity of the marinara and takes the edge off the salt in three cheeses. Martha calls for 4 tablespoons, which sounds like a lot, but spread across 18 shells and 6 servings it works out to about 2 teaspoons per plate. If you prefer a more savory filling, cut it to 2 tablespoons and taste before stuffing.
What do you do when manicotti shells crack while stuffing?
Use a small spoon or a piping bag fitted with a wide round tip to fill them gently from both ends. If a shell cracks, place it seam-side down in the dish and the marinara covers the break during baking. Slightly undercooking the shells by 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directions keeps them flexible enough to handle.
