A few weeks ago I quickly (and very easily) made a batch of this cheese manicotti recipe, and I’m still dreaming about it. I make the whole thing with simple ingredients in under an hour. It’s creamy with a delish ricotta filling, a little spinach so you can sneak in some veggies and a marinara sauce and cheese topping that’s my fave part. I freeze leftovers to dig into whenever I’m scrambling for something to make for dinner.
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How to Make Cheese Manicotti
Step 1: Cook the manicotti slightly (see notes). Add olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat. Once melted, add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds making sure not to burn.
Add heavy cream, ½ cup of parmesan cheese, ½ tablespoon of cajun seasoning, Italian Seasoning, pinch of red pepper flakes, and pinch of ground nutmeg and stir to mix together. Bring cream sauce to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat and pour into a large baking pan and set aside.
Step 2: Next in a separate medium sized bowl, add ricotta cheese, spinach, onion, remaining parmesan and remaining cajun seasoning and stir together to combine well. Stuff room temperature manicotti with spinach mixture and add to the bottom of the sauced baking pan.
Step 3: Top with the marinara sauce then cover with mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted and is bubbling. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, garnish with parsley and serve.
Cheese Manicotti Recipe
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Ingredients
- 6 oz manicotti shells
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning divided
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning can it homemade
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cup shedded mozzarella cheese
- parsley for garnish
- 1-2 cups marinara sauce FIND THE FULL RECIPE HERE
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Cook the manicotti slightly for only a few minutes (about 5) or just dip in hot water but make sure they are still stiff enough to handle. This will ensure they don't break when you stuff them. They will continue to cook in the oven.
- Add olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat. Once melted, add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds making sure not to overcook and cause burning.
- Add heavy cream, ½ cup of parmesan cheese, ½ tablespoon of cajun seasoning, Italian Seasoning, pinch of red pepper flakes, and pinch of ground nutmeg and stir to mix together. Bring cream sauce to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat and pour into a large baking pan and set aside.
- Next in a separate medium sized bowl, add ricotta cheese, spinach, onion, remaining parmesan and remaining cajun seasoning and stir together to combine well.
- Stuff room temperature manicotti with spinach mixture and add to the bottom of the sauced baking pan.
- Top with the marinara sauce then cover with mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted and is bubbling. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Stuff without breaking: Don’t boil them long. Just enough to soften slightly but not all the way. Or you can soak them for a few minutes in hot water then stuff and they will continue to cook in the oven.
- Too thick: If your sauce gets to thick, add a little more cream or milk. It’s best to use pretty quickly so it doesn’t set up too fast.
- Marinara Options: Make your own or grab a super high quality one at the store to keep the process even more no-fuss.
Recipe Help
Yep you can cooked or uncooked. To freeze, transfer the manicotti to an airtight freezer-safe container. It should be all good for 1-2 months. When you wan to reserve, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. For uncooked manicotti, bake for an extra 10 minutes covered. For pre-cooked manicotti, bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through and bubbling on top.
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This is such delicious comfort food, and super easy to make. All my family are loving this dish so it will be staple from now on!
I love this combination and the family loved it too will always make this recipe its amazing!
Wow! I can’t believe how easy this is to make and love the addition of creole seasoning. Simply Yummy!
Amazing! Such a great dish to make for the family! It always looks impressive, but it’s so easy!
Love the cheese and the spinach in this manicotti dish. Its really simple to make for dinner and theres a good amount of left over for the next day.