Manicotti are delicious and easy to prepare. Filling manicotti with ricotta and beef gives it a lasagna like flavor without all the extra work! Not to mention they are easy to stuff and fill with your favorite mix.
This recipe uses beef but it also works with a mix of beef and pork or the meat of your choice.
Do you have to boil manicotti first?
Absolutely not, that is what makes these so easy to make! Normally we boil pasta in plenty of salted water. Since we are not going to boil we need to do 2 things. One, add extra sauce when baking. Two, make the sauce a touch saltier. We don’t want the sauce too salty but salty enough to season the pasta. If you taste the sauce and it is noticeably salty you can add more water to dilute it. If you can’t taste the salt at all, add a bit more.
What is the difference between manicotti and cannelloni? Can I substitute them?
Manicotti is the American version of cannelloni. It is very hard to find cannelloni outside of specialty Italian stores. While some may say they are the same, I would argue differently. Manicotti are usually larger and thicker and often have ridges. Cannellini are much smaller in length and diameter. They can be found with only semolina and water or with the addition of eggs.
You can substitute them though! For cannellini you can cook for less time and add less sauce.
Beef and Ricotta Manicotti
Description
Savory and comforting manicotti filled with ricotta and beef served in a fresh homemade tomato sauce and topped with browned mozzarella.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Make the tomato sauce
Finely dice the onion and add to a saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt. Simmer until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the tomatoes. Rinse the can/jar of tomatoes with water and add to the sauce. Add the clove of garlic and 5 basil leaves. Season with more salt, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
We want the sauce to be slightly saltier than normal as it will season the manicotti shells. You want it to be just slightly salty without adding too much. If you add too much, add more water to the sauce to dilute the salt. -
Brown the beef
In a skillet over medium high heat add a teaspoon of oil and brown the beef. If you are using wine, deglaze the pan with the wine and let simmer for another couple minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool.
-
Make the ricotta filling
In a bowl combine the ricotta, the cooled beef, parmigiano reggiano, finely sliced basil leaves. Add a ladle of the tomato sauce and mix to combine it all together.
The filling should be rather stiff.
-
Prep the baking dish
In a 13x9 oven safe baking dish add a layer of sauce to the bottom. This will prevent the pasta from sticking.
-
Fill the manicotti
Add the ricotta beef filling to a pastry bag or plastic ziploc. Fill the uncooked manicotti with the filling.
-
Finish preparing the manicotti
Generously add the sauce over the manicotti. Top with the mozzarella.
Since we are not boiling first we need enough sauce to cook the pasta.
See notes in description for more details on not cooking the pasta first. -
Bake the manicotti
Cover with foil and bake covered for 30 minutes at 375F. Remove the foil and let the cheese brown for another 15 minutes. It is done when the pasta is tender and cooked through.
If the cheese gets too dark add the foil back.
