Easy Baked Manicotti

Tender manicotti noodles stuffed with a blend of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses and traditional pesto topped with a red spaghetti sauce is this Easy Baked Manicotti recipe!

My mouth is watering while I type this blog post! Cheesy and a side of spaghetti sauce, this manicotti recipe is the perfect quick alternative dish for any spaghetti night. We love to pair it with garlic bread, breadsticks, and either a house salad or Cesar salad. Then make your sides as the manicotti bakes and you’ll have a full Italian meal done with time to spare!

This recipe is actually from my bridal shower 13 years ago and coming from a big family you get a lot of insight into recipes that work! So, if my aunt Patty, mother of 11, says Easy Baked Manicotti is a delicious and easy meal, you know it is! Handwritten recipe cards are a keepsake within themselves with their little notes and their signature writing. They are something I will always treasure!

How to make a Meatless Manicotti

Ingredients

• 12 manicotti shells
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 15 ounce tub of ricotta cheese (not low fat!)
• 8 ounces of shredded mozzeralla cheese
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of traditional pesto
• 2 cups of spaghetti sauce, We like to use Prego however use what you prefer.

Directions

In a large stockpot, boil and prepare the manicotti noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse them with cold water.

While the noodles are boiling, mix egg, pesto, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese together in a medium bowl. Spoon the mixture into a quart-size resealable bag(OR piping bag). Using a scissors, cut a corner off making a small hole.

Once the noodles are drained and rinsed, fill each shell one at a time with the cheese mixture and place them in a 9×13 baking dish greased with cooking spray. Generously cover the noodles in the dish with the spaghetti sauce.

Bake the cheese and pesto manicotti noodles at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes until the dish is heated thru, hot and bubbly. Garnish with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella or more grated parmesan and some fresh parsley. Serve easy baked manicotti with garlic bread or breadsticks and a fresh salad or hot vegetable.

Easy Baked Manicotti is an easy main dish perfect for Meatless Mondays or Lenten Fridays when you want to break away from traditional fish dinners. Since the “hard part” is in the preparation, once this dish is baking you can focus on the sides and family tying up any loose ends before dinner. Then you can enjoy a homemade, stress-free dinner with the family!

More Spaghetti Night Favorties

This one-pot wonder is quick and easy! If you are craving creamy cheese-covered pasta, this Five Cheese Ziti Recipe is for you! As a copycat recipe of Olive Garden’s five cheese ziti, it is so flavorful that you will be soon adding it to your weeknight rotation.

Want to stick to traditional spaghetti? This Traditional Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Recipe combines spaghetti noodles covered in a sweet tomato sauce topped with a hearty meat sauce. It’s simple to throw together making it perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. It’s yummy enough to impress the whole family.

My family begs for this! Traditional spaghetti with a hearty meat sauce piled high on top of crunchy garlic bread is Spaghetti Boats. Spaghetti boats are all your favorite parts of spaghetti night neatly stacked up so every bite is the cheese, noodles, meat sauce, and garlic bread.

This Pizza Spaghetti Bake brings spaghetti and pizza together for the perfect marriage of carbs, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Warm and delicious, it’s a meal that will soon become a family favorite!