Our Cheese & Spinach Manicotti is stuffed to the brim with creamy ricotta, melted mozzarella, and garlic sauteed spinach before we bake it in homemade marinara sauce.
It is comfort food perfection in a single dish the whole family will clamor to dig into.
Nothing warms the body on a cold day quite like a solid helping of hot, cheesy baked pasta bubbling away fresh from the oven. This recipe uses a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses. This three-cheese mixture is the perfect creamy and savory blend to cradle the spinach for stuffing the noodles.
Our deliciously rich baked manicotti noodles (also known as cannelloni) is an ideal make-ahead recipe ready to slide in the oven with little effort on busy weeknights (and there are plenty of those, right?!).
In fact, this recipe has been a regular part of our Monthly Cooking meal rotation for years as an excellent vegetarian main dish option.
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What is the difference between Manicotti and Cannelloni?
Manicotti is an Italian-American form of pasta and translates as “little sleeve” and is similar in shape and size to Cannelloni pasta tubes. The main difference is that manicotti tubes have ridges, are slightly thicker, and are more likely what you’ll find in U.S. markets in both regular and gluten-free options.
The added texture of the ridges on manicotti, or any pasta, is a good thing as it helps to hold onto the sauce you put them in. And our homemade marinara is worthy of holding onto, my friends.
TIPS for cooking with Gluten-Free Pasta: I recommend using Jovial brand noodles, not only do they taste great, but they have a superb texture. Gluten-free pasta can be very delicate and will also continue to cook in the oven and take on moisture from the sauce. Reducing the initial cook time down by a couple of minutes will help it retain proper texture and not overcook.
What to Serve with Baked Manicotti?
Baked manicotti is a filling main, so we recommend one of these lighter side dishes like a salad or roasting vegetables right beside it in the oven.
You may even go all in and make a few crispy slices of garlic bread or freshly baked Parmesan-Herb Focaccia.
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The Best Way to Fill Manicotti Noodles
The best method for filling manicotti noodles is to pipe the mixture into the shell. You can use either a piping bag or a cut zip-type bag as we have done here.
- Scoop the spinach and cheese mixture into a resealable bag (quart size may be easier to handle).
- Cut enough off the bottom corner of the bag to create a quarter-sized hole that is slightly smaller than the tube you are filling.
- Place the corner of the bag into the opening of the cooked and drained manicotti noodles and squeeze the mixture into half the noodle.
- Flip and fill the other end of the noodle.
TIP: The sauce for this stuffed pasta dish is our Homemade Marinara Sauce and it is worth the extra few minutes to make from scratch.
However, you can use a store-bought marinara sauce or a tomato spaghetti sauce if you prefer.
How to make Stuffed Manicotti Noodles STEP BY STEP
- Prepare the manicotti noodles and the marinara sauce, if homemade.
- Drain, separate, and lay the noodles on a sheet pan.
- Sauté the spinach, green onion, and garlic in oil; drain and cool.
- Mix the ricotta, egg, parsley, nutmeg, and chopped spinach.
- Stir in parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
- Place the cheese mixture in a resealable bag and cut the bottom corner off the bag.
- Squeeze the mixture into half the noodle, turn the noodle over and squeeze into the other end to fill.
- Spread marinara sauce in a baking dish and arrange the stuffed manicotti on top of the sauce.
- Ladle more marinara sauce over the pasta, sprinkle with cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
TIP: To stop the manicotti noodles from sticking together, place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper to keep each pasta shell separate.
How To Make and Freeze Manicotti
There are two methods for prepping and freezing manicotti. One is to make the recipe right up to the point of putting it in the oven, the other is to freeze the stuffed noodles and sauce separately and assemble it right before baking.
With more than 20 years of experience making meals in advance using our Monthly Cooking System, we prefer the following method of freezing the items separately so the pasta doesn’t absorb too much moisture from the sauce thus compromising the texture.
Prepare the Sauce
- Prepare the marinara sauce (2nd recipe below); set it aside to cool.
Prep and Stuff the Pasta
- Prepare the manicotti noodles; drain, separate, and lay the noodles on a sheet pan. (1st recipe below)
- Sauté the spinach, green onion, and garlic in oil; drain and cool.
- Mix the ricotta, egg, parsley, nutmeg, and chopped spinach; Stir in the parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
- Place the cheese mixture in a resealable bag and cut the bottom corner off the bag. Squeeze the mixture into half the noodle, turn the noodle over and squeeze into the other end to fill.
Freeze and Store
- Arrange the stuffed pasta on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze uncovered until sturdy enough to handle then transfer to a gallon-size freezer bag for storage. This makes it easy to prepare the exact number of servings you desire.
- Divide the marinara into 2 quart-size freezer bags and lay flat in the freezer. Freezing the sauce flat in 2 bags will allow it to defrost quickly and also provides more options for serving sizes.
- Freeze grated parmesan in a freezer bag to store alongside the manicotti if you don’t always have some on-hand for topping the dish before baking.
Defrost and Bake
- Defrost the manicotti and sauce—the sauce will defrost quicker than the stuffed noodles and can be layered as soon as the sauce is loose enough to work with.
- Spread marinara sauce in a baking dish and arrange the stuffed manicotti on top of the sauce.
- Ladle more marinara sauce over the pasta, sprinkle with cheese, cover with foil.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. It takes a little longer to bake when the noodles and sauce are cold before baking.
Recipe Variations
- Use a meat sauce like bolognese in place of the marinara
- Pipe cheese filling onto cooked lasagna noodles and roll up as a substitute for tubed pasta
- Top with mozzarella instead of Parmesan before baking
- Substitute large shell-shaped pasta for the manicotti noodles
- Substitute wheat-based pasta for the gluten-free pasta (both have been tested for this recipe)
- Substitute Grana Padano or Asiago cheese for the Parmesan (use mozzarella for the topping)
- Mix in mascarpone or goat cheese for part of the ricotta
- Substitute provolone, Fontina, or Gouda cheese for the mozzarella or create a custom mix. I don’t recommend fresh mozzarella due to its higher water content.
- Substitute frozen spinach for fresh spinach. A rough estimate for substitution: 8 ounces fresh = 3/4 cup cooked = 5 ounces frozen. Frozen spinach contains a little extra water so defrost it first and squeeze out any excess water.
- Substitute arugula, beet greens, Tuscan kale, or Swiss chard for the fresh spinach
- Substitute minced shallot or leeks for the green onion.
More Delicious Sauces & Pasta Recipes
Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Manicotti
Ingredients
- 8 ounces manicotti noodles use Jovial brand for gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces fresh spinach coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 3 cups Marinara Sauce , Recipe Below
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350ºF.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions BUT reduce cooking time by a couple of minutes so the pasta will not overcook during baking time. Drain, separate, and lay out on a sheet pan so it doesn't stick together and set aside (wax paper or parchment paper can be used to layer pasta on the pan).
- While the pasta is cooking, saute the spinach, green onion, and garlic in oil over medium heat in a large skillet until spinach is wilted. Drain spinach if needed and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to cool.
- In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, parsley, and nutmeg. Coarsely chop the cooled spinach and mix into the ricotta mixture. Stir in parmesan and mozzarella.
- Put cheese mixture in a resealable bag (quart size may be easier to handle). Cut enough of the bottom corner of the bag to create a quarter-sized whole. Place corner of bag into the opening of manicotti noodles and squeeze mixture into half the noodle, turn noodle over and squeeze into the other end to fill. (It may take a little practice, but you’ll get the hang of it!)
- Discard wax/parchment paper. Spread a little marinara in the bottom of a 13 × 9-inch baking dish and layer the stuffed manicotti on top of the sauce. Ladle marinara or spaghetti sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
Recipe Variations:
- Use a meat sauce in place of the marinara
- Pipe cheese filling onto cooked lasagna noodles and roll up as a substitute for tubed pasta
- Top with mozzarella instead of Parmesan before baking
- Substitute large shell-shaped pasta for the manicotti noodles
- Substitute wheat-based pasta for the gluten-free pasta (both have been tested for this recipe)
- Substitute Grana Padano cheese for the Parmesan (use mozzarella for the topping)
- Mix in mascarpone or goat cheese for part of the ricotta
- Substitute Fontina or Swiss cheese for the mozzarella. I don’t recommend fresh mozzarella due to its higher water content.
- Substitute frozen spinach for fresh spinach. A rough estimate for substitution: 8 ounces fresh = 3/4 cup cooked = 5 ounces frozen. Frozen spinach contains a little extra water so defrost it first and squeeze out any excess water.
- Substitute arugula, beet greens, Tuscan kale, or Swiss chard for the fresh spinach
- Substitute minced shallot or leeks for the green onion.
Nutrition
Quick and Easy Marinara
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small sweet yellow onion about 3/4 cup, chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 28 ounces San Marzano style canned tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Italian dry herb blend
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme , or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar , to taste
- 3 heaping tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- Sea salt , to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan (a saucier with sloped sides works best), heat oil over medium-low heat and cook onion until translucent and just beginning to brown at the edges, 6-8 minutes. While the onion is cooking, pulse the tomatoes in a food processor or break up with your hands into small pieces (about the size of a dime), but be careful to not over-process or puree. Add the garlic to the onions and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour the wine into the onions and garlic, bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs, black pepper and crushed red pepper and simmer about 25 minutes.Taste to adjust seasoning; add sugar and salt, as needed — the amount of each will depend on the tomatoes used (see notes).
- Stir in basil and parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes to meld flavors, then serve.
Notes
- Coconut palm sugar is less sweet with a deeper, molasses flavor than refined sugar. If using refined sugar, add 1/2 teaspoon at a time until the desired balanced flavor is reached.
- Use cooked carrots or beets instead of sugar to sweeten your sauce. Puree or mash the carrots or beets before adding to the sauce to take less to bring the sweetness you desire.
- Muir Glen tomato products are among the best in bright tomato flavor and texture, are widely available, and reasonably priced. Simpson Imports SAN MARZANO whole peeled tomatoes (the white can with the red tomatoes on the side) is another excellent brand that may be a little harder to find, but definitely worth looking for in stores or online.
Linda says
Where in heavens name did you get 30 minute prep time??? Took me 2 hours! However it is delicious. Next time I’ll double the recipe and freeze some
Judy Purcell says
Hi Linda, thanks for letting me know about your experience. I can see how the prep time should be extended to include making the marinara, even though that’s on the marinara recipe. I’ll adjust the recipe, so it is more realistic to the overall timeframe. And yes, double and freeze it saves time later on!
Jill says
I made this with jar sauce and loved it so next time I’ll try the marinara.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I cook Italian all the time but have never made stuffed manicotti. Yours is truly an inspiration.
Judy Purcell says
You make great Italian dishes, Karen, I’m sure you’d put a delicious spin on manicotti in the same fashion. 🙂
mjskitchen says
Hate to admit this, but even though I love a cheese & spinach manicotti, I’ve never made one. Guess I’m too lazy to fill those tubes of pasta. 🙂 However, I certainly wouldn’t turn down a HUGE serving of this dish if it were offered.
Judy Purcell says
Yes, the tube stuffing can take a minute, but once they’re in the freezer it makes dinner super-fast!
Raymund says
Ohhh that looks really amazing!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
It’s been a long time since I’ve made stuffed manicotti. It’s so good — and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like it (well, anyone who likes Italian-American food, that is!). Your version looks excellent — thanks.
Judy Purcell says
It’s always a hit and yet, I don’t think about making it for company, but definitely should.