Baked Manicotti
This homemade manicotti is soft, delicious, and easy to make! You will never go back to store-bought manicotti pasta after tasting this recipe.
Servings 14 manicottis
Calories 177kcal
Ingredients
Crepe Batter
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup spelt flour (or all purpose white flour)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Ricotta Filling
- 1 pound ricotta cheese (I use full fat)
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella (cubed)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Extras
- 2 cups homemade red sauce (divided - or store-bought spaghetti sauce)
- 2 ounces shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Take out the eggs an hour before you plan to use them.3 eggs
Batter
- In a medium bowl, add the eggs, flour and salt.3/4 cup spelt flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Whisk together or use a hand mixer until incorporated. Let the batter rest for a half hour.
Filling
- In a medium bowl add ricotta cheese, diced mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, salt, pepper and parsley and mix with a rubber spatula until combined.1 pound ricotta cheese, 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Making the Crepes
- Heat a crepe pan or a sauté pan on medium heat. Spray a little natural cooking spray in the pan.
- With a gravy ladle, add batter into the pan and swirl it around to spread the batter (2 - 3 tablespoons worth).
- Cook until the top is dry, but the bottom is not brown (it should take about one minute for each crepe). Place the finished crepe on a wire rack lined with parchment paper to cool.
- Repeat until batter is all gone.
Assembling and Baking
- Preheat oven 350 F
- Spoon some red sauce to cover the bottom of a jelly roll pan.2 cups homemade red sauce
- Lay out all the crepes and spoon some ricotta mixture on each one, using all the filling. Roll the crepes and place them seam-side down on the sauce.
- Repeat until all the crepes are rolled and placed.
- Liberally ladle red sauce on top of the manicotti. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top.2 cups homemade red sauce, 2 ounces shredded mozzarella
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
- Carefully separate the manicotti into sets of two
- Plate
- Smile
- Enjoy
Notes
Helpful tips
-
- Take out the eggs an hour before making this recipe. You want the eggs to be at room temperature before making the batter.
- After making the crepe batter, it must sit for at least a half hour before cooking it.
- You can use store-bought pasta sauce if you want, but homemade is so much better, and my Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce (made with or without Italian sausage) recipe is super easy to make! If you do get store-bought, marinara sauce is a great choice.
- Try not to use a non-stick Teflon pan to make the crepes. Teflon is not good for you. Instead, invest in a good cast iron pan that is naturally non-stick, if seasoned correctly.
- When making the crepes, don't stress if they form little legs as you swirl the batter around. It won't matter when you build the manicotti.
- Bake the manicotti on a jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet. They're easier to serve from a surface without high sides. But if you prefer, you can use a baking dish.
- To make sure all the crepes have the ricotta mixture, dollop the mixture on all the crepes before rolling them up.
- If you have any leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a week. This recipe also freezes well.
Nutrition
Serving: 2manicotti | Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 510mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 190mg | Iron: 1.3mg