I love to make baked pasta when I’m entertaining, some of my favorites include pizza stuffed shells, chicken parmesan pasta, and this hearty, cheesy, baked manicotti. Manicotti is a traditional dish that’s served at most Italian restaurants, but it also happens to be really easy to make at home! My version features zesty sausage, plenty of melted cheese and is always a hit with both kids and adults alike. For more amazing Italian dishes, try my slow cooker bolognese sauce and shrimp linguine!
Baked Manicotti Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need olive oil, sausage, onion, garlic, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, marinara sauce, manicotti shells and parsley.
How Do You Make Manicotti?
The first step is to brown your Italian sausage along with onion and garlic. In another bowl, mix together ricotta cheese with parmesan, mozzarella and seasonings. Mix the sausage into the cheese mixture, then fill each pasta shell with the cheese filling. Place the pasta in a pan with marinara sauce, then add another layer of cheese over the top. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and browned. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Pasta
It’s best to slightly undercook your pasta. Firmer pasta is easier to fill, and it will continue to cook and soften as it bakes in the oven. I use a store bought marinara sauce to keep prep time to a minimum. Choose your favorite high quality sauce. I typically use Rao’s or Newman’s Own brands. This dish can be assembled up to 8 hours before you plan to bake it. Cover and store in the fridge, then bake as directed. You may need to add an extra 10-15 minutes to the bake time to compensate for starting with a chilled dish. Feel free to use hot or mild sausage, whichever you prefer. Turkey sausage also works quite well. Leftover manicotti will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to break up the meat into small pieces as it cooks, that will it will fit nicely into the pasta tubes.
Flavor Variations
I love this pasta recipe as-is, but you can switch up the ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
Protein: Instead of sausage, try ground beef, shredded chicken or ground turkey. Vegetables: Feel free to add some veggies to the filling such as cooked spinach, finely chopped mushrooms, grated zucchini or roasted red bell peppers. Cheese: Swap out the mozzarella and parmesan for other Italian cheese varieties such as fontina, provolone, asiago or pecorino romano. Sauce: You can switch out the marinara sauce for bolognese sauce, Alfredo sauce or even basil pesto.
You can never go wrong with creamy, cheesy pasta and this manicotti recipe is on my regular rotation. The flavor combination just can’t be beat, and it’s the perfect meal for those days when you need a little comfort food.
Manicotti Video
