Cheese Manicotti with Ricotta and Spinach
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Ricotta, spinach and mozzarella go into the pasta tubes through a zip-top bag, and the whole pan settles under marinara and more cheese. Fill it the day before, and on the night you just light the oven.
The short version
Boil the shells 2 minutes short, mix ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach and egg, and pipe it into the tubes. Nestle them in marinara, cover with more sauce and cheese, and bake at 375°F, covered then uncovered. About 1 hour 15 minutes.
What makes ours better
what we fixed so you don’t have to
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Pipe the filling in with a zip-top bag. Spooning filling into a floppy shell tears it. A bag with the corner snipped fills each tube in seconds and keeps the shells whole.
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Boil the shells 2 minutes short. They finish cooking in the oven under sauce. Pasta that goes in fully cooked turns soft and tears when you fill it.
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Drain the ricotta and squeeze the spinach dry. Wet filling makes the sauce watery and the filling runny. A few minutes of draining gives a firm, creamy center.
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Add lemon zest and nutmeg. A little of each makes ricotta taste fresh and a bit sweet, the way good Italian-American red-sauce versions do.
What you need
the usual suspects
- Whole-milk ricotta15 ounces
- Frozen chopped spinach10 ounces
- Shredded low-moisture mozzarella1½ cups
- Finely grated Parmesan½ cup
- Egg1 large
- Finely grated lemon zest½ teaspoon
- Manicotti shells8 ounces
- Marinara sauce3½ cups
Filling
Assembly
read it twice. buy it once.
Steps
nobody opens the oven door. looking at you, Dad.
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Heat the oven, drain the ricotta
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Spread 1 cup of the marinara over the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking dish. Set the ricotta in a fine strainer over a bowl to drain while you work.
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Boil the shells
Cook the shells in well-salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the package says, usually 6 to 7 minutes, until bendy but still firm. Drain, rinse with cool water, and lay them flat on an oiled sheet so they don't stick.
The box has extra shells for a reason. A few always tear.
About 7 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Mix the filling
Stir the ricotta, spinach, 1½ cups mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, lemon zest and nutmeg together until evenly mixed.
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Fill the shells
Scoop the filling into a gallon zip-top bag and snip off a corner, about ¾ inch wide. Hold a shell in one hand, pipe the filling in from one end until it's full, then set it in the dish. Repeat with the remaining shells, lining them up side by side.
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Sauce and cheese
Spoon the remaining 2½ cups marinara over the shells, covering them completely so they don't dry out. Scatter the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan on top.
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Bake covered
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges.
About 30 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Uncover and brown
Remove the foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots. Let stand 10 minutes before serving so the filling sets.
Don't skip the rest. Cut right away, the filling runs out of the shells.
About 12 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
the stuff I’d tell you over the phone
- You can assemble the dish up to 24 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate, then add 10 minutes to the covered bake time.
- Short on time? Skip the spinach and use 2 cups of mozzarella in the filling instead of the spinach and half of the mozzarella; the filling is less green but just as creamy.
- Jumbo shells or no-boil lasagna noodles also work; see lasagna roll-ups with meat sauce for the noodle version.
- Storage. Fridge, 4 days. Freeze assembled and unbaked, well wrapped, up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. Reheat covered at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
How do I fill manicotti shells without breaking them?
Pipe the filling in with a zip-top bag with the corner snipped, and don't overcook the shells. Rinse them in cool water and handle them one at a time.
Do I have to boil manicotti shells?
Boiling gives the most reliable result. You can use no-boil shells if the sauce is thin and covers them fully, but expect to add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered bake time.
Why is my manicotti filling runny?
Wet ricotta or spinach is the usual cause. Drain the ricotta, squeeze the spinach dry, and use whole-milk ricotta rather than part-skim.
Can I make manicotti ahead?
Yes. Assemble it up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate, or freeze it unbaked. Bake from the fridge with 10 extra minutes covered, or thaw frozen manicotti overnight first.
What is the difference between manicotti and stuffed shells?
Manicotti are large smooth tubes, and stuffed shells are jumbo shell-shaped pasta. They take the same filling and the same bake, so swap one for the other as you like.
From the table
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Published October 29, 2026.