Authentic Italian Manicotti with Three Cheeses – No-Boil Pasta Recipe

Manicotti made using this recipe saves you time since you don’t boil the pasta shells, and is so tasty, stuffed with three types of Italian cheese and your choice of greens (if you like them)!

Pasta is good, so stuffed pasta is better, right?

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Well, let’s just leave it to our own taste buds to make that decision because, to be honest, I love all kinds of pasta: like stuffed manicotti or unstuffed spaghetti!  

Here’s another recipe you may enjoy: pasta al forno with mini meatballs.

Let’s get right to the recipe and I’ll follow up with all the frequently asked questions about cheese manicotti. Just be sure to use good quality ingredients for the very best outcome, most importantly, quality canned Italian tomatoes.

How to Make Authentic Italian
Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

a D’Aguanno family recipe (printable recipe below)      serves 8 

What You’ll Need

Special equipment: espresso spoon, or other small spoon, 10″ x 15″ baking tray

Ingredients

• 8 oz (a packed cup) steamed escarole, endive (just use the green, outer leaves) or spinach, squeezed dry and chopped (measure after cooked)
• 2 1/2 cups (20 oz) good quality ricotta, drained
• 2 eggs
• 2 to 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup (5 ounces) shredded mozzarella
• (20-24 count) manicotti/cannelloni pasta tubes (preferably made in Italy, hint: buy cannelloni)
• pasta sauce (make this recipe)

Oven temperature: 375˚F (190˚C)

Step 1: Make the Filling

Place the steamed escarole, endive or spinach into a large bowl, then add the ricotta, eggs, grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese, salt, and pepper and mix well.

Next, toss in the shredded mozzarella.

Mix well.

Step 2: Prepare the Sauce

You’ll already have the tomato sauce from my linked recipe, but here’s the trick to not boiling the pasta, adding water to the sauce. I say to use boiling water because I don’t want you using hot water from the tap; it needs to be very hot. Put half of the sauce in a bowl (if it’s about 1 cup of sauce, add just under 1 cup of very hot/almost boiling water. You can make this watery sauce as you need it so you don’t end up watering down too much of the sauce.

Now we have the filling, shells, and sauce, and we’re ready to proceed.

Step 3: Stuff the Shells

Spread a generous amount of the watery sauce in the bottom of the pan, then start filling the tubes with the filling. As I said above, you can choose to use a piping bag without a tip, but it’s really easy to use a small spoon, too.

Use both ends to fill the manicotti shells as it’s quicker than trying to push the filling all the way to the opposite end. Once full, place in the pan. 

Be sure to place them generously spaced apart as they will grow and spread.

 Step 4: Prep for Baking

Once all the manicotti are filled (you may need another small tray if all of the manicotti don’t fit (don’t attempt to squeeze them in). I put 4 in a separate little dish.

Make sure to cover all of the manicotti.

Add enough watery sauce so that it comes about halfway up the pasta shells.

We need this much liquid since the pasta hasn’t been boiled (and absorbed the water when cooking). Let the shells rest for about half an hour before baking. 

Step 5: Bake the Pasta & Finish the Dish

Cover and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the pasta is ready. You can remove the cover for the last 5 minutes if you like. 

 Step 6: Plate and Serve

Before serving, add some heated pasta sauce (the original batch, not watered down) to the manicotti. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and add a sprig of parsley for color, and enjoy this dreamy comfort food!

Stuffed Manicotti versus Cannelloni – What’s the Difference?”

Despite what you may have read elsewhere, the biggest difference is in the name itself. “Manicotti” is an American version of “cannelloni” because manicotti do not exist in Italy. It’s not the difference between a smooth shell or a ridged shell, or using fresh or dry pasta, or a difference in the fillings.

Manicotti and cannelloni are the same thing. If you want to read more about it, head over to The Pasta Project, and Jacqui (who lives in Italy) will fill you in. 

Manicotti and cannelloni are the same thing. If you want to read more about it, head over to The Pasta Project, and Jacqui (who lives in Italy) will fill you in.

How to Make This Manicotti Recipe like an Italian Chef: Tips, Tricks, and Frequently Asked Questions

How do you Make Manicotti From Scratch?

Just follow the step by step directions below and you will learn how to make manicotti from scratch. If you want to make the pasta from scratch, just make lasagna noodles then cut them to stuff them (roll up the filling). You can also use crepes and stuff those to make entirely homemade manicotti.

Should I Cook the Manicotti Shells Before I Stuff Them?

You can buy manicotti shells which are “no-boil”, as well as those which instruct you to boil them before stuffing. However, if you’ve ever tried to stuff a limp manicotti shell (even if it’s cooked very al dente), you know it’s not going to be smooth sailing! With my recipe, no matter what type of pasta tubes you have, I’m going to show you how to make the manicotti without boiling them, so they’re much easier to fill, and also takes less time (and one less pot to wash)!

How do I Stuff the Manicotti Without Them Breaking?

You won’t break any manicotti shells if you use my recipe because they’re not boiled or soft when you stuff them. All you need is small spoon; something like an espresso spoon is great. You can use a piping bag, but honestly, the spoon works just as quickly and again, less mess and clean up.

Do I Need to add the Greens?

No, you can make these with just a cheese filling if you like, just add about one more cup (225g) of ricotta cheese instead of the greens. I used escarole in this recipe, but sometimes my family uses curly endive or spinach; they are all delicious. Also, here’s my ricotta cheese and spinach stuffed shells recipe which includes a besciamella sauce. Please don’t substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta cheese.

Can you Freeze Manicotti?

Absolutely! Yes, you can freeze manicotti! You can make the dish, bake and freeze in the pan (as long as it’s oven and freezer-proof). They freeze perfectly. You can also move them to smaller containers before freezing so you can use individual or two-person portions at a time, making for great make-ahead meals.

NB: Place parchment or wax paper on top of the pasta before using aluminum foil or placing the lid on the container. Tomato sauce will “eat” into aluminum foil and you’ll end up ingesting aluminum, which is not a good thing!

How do I Reheat Frozen Manicotti?

Take the manicotti from the freezer and defrost in the fridge. Smaller portions will defrost within 24 hours, but a full, large pan will take longer. Take the pan out of the fridge about an hour or two before popping it into a 350˚F (175˚C) preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Bake them covered, and if they look too dry, you can add a little watered down sauce before they go into the oven.

What Foods & Other Dishes Pair Well with Manicotti?

You don’t eat anything else with manicotti! Just like any other pasta dish, it is not served with a side dish or with salad on the plate. You can serve antipasto, or soup before the manicotti as the main course. You can also serve a meat dish, salad and/or dessert afterwards, but nothing goes on the plate with the manicotti. You have pasta, cheese and greens with a fresh pasta sauce, so there’s really no need for anything else.

✧

Manicotti (Three Cheese, No-Boil Pasta Recipe)

Servings: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

A cheese and greens filled manicotti recipe topped with an authentic Italian tomato sauce which requires no pasta boiling.

4.8 from 28 votes

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Ingredients

• 8 oz escarole or spinach, steamed, squeezed dry, and chopped
• 2 ½ cups ricotta drained (good quality)
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano, grated
• 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 20 count to 24 manicotti pasta tubes or cannelloni
• 1 cup pasta sauce and more to serve (see recipe in NOTES)
• ⅚ cup boiling water added to sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Filling:

• Preheat oven temperature: 375˚F (190˚C)
• Place the steamed escarole, endive or spinach into a large bowl, then add the ricotta.
• Add the eggs, grated Parmesan or Pecorino, salt, and pepper and mix well.
• Next, toss in the shredded mozzarella. Mix well.

Prepare the Sauce:

• You'll already have the tomato sauce from my recipe (in NOTES) but here's the trick to not boiling the pasta, adding water to the sauce. I say to use boiling water because I don't want you using hot water from the tap; it needs to be very hot. Put half of the sauce in a bowl (if it's about 1 cup of sauce, add just under 1 cup of very hot/almost boiling water. You can make this watery sauce as you need it so you don't end up watering down too much of the sauce.
• Spread a generous amount of the watery sauce in the bottom of the pan, then start filling the tubes with the filling.

Stuff the Manicotti Shells:

• As I said above, you can choose to use a piping bag without a tip, but it's really easy to use a small spoon, too. Use both ends to fill the manicotti shells as it's quicker than trying to push the filling all the way to the opposite end.
• Once full, place in the pan. Be sure to place them generously spaced apart as they will grow and spread.
• Once all the manicotti are filled (you may need another small tray if all of the manicotti don't fit (don't attempt to squeeze them in). I put 4 in a separate little dish. Make sure to cover all of the manicotti.
• Add enough watery sauce so that it comes about halfway up the pasta shells. We need this much liquid since the pasta hasn't been boiled (and absorbed the water when cooking). Let the shells rest for about half an hour before baking. 
• Cover and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the pasta is ready. You can remove the cover for the last 5 minutes if you like. 
• Before serving, add some heated pasta sauce (the original batch, not watered down) to the manicotti. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and add a sprig of parsley for color, and enjoy!

Notes

• Authentic Italian sauce recipe here
• Measure the greens after cooking (1 cup packed.) Also try curly endive, using only the outside green leaves.
• Special equipment: espresso spoon, or other small spoon, 10" x 15" baking tray
• Buy 100% durum wheat semolina pasta, preferably made in Italy, hint: buy cannelloni

Nutrition

Serving: 1 manicotti | Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 707mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1136IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 277mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you Make this Recipe?

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Author: Christina Conte

Course Main Courses

Cuisine Italian

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