This manicotti recipe is outrageously good! It’s stuffed with three cheeses and spinach, then baked until it’s hot and bubbling. Our entire family loves it!
You’ve got options here! The easiest way is to use store-bought manicotti shells, our cheesy spinach filling, and your favorite pasta sauce. Or, if you want to make it extra special, try our homemade crespelle. They’re thin, crepe-like pancakes that you fill and roll up just like enchiladas.
No matter which way you go, you’re in for something delicious. But if you have a little extra time, the homemade crespelle are totally worth it (they make the best manicotti!). This is one of my all-time favorite baked pastas. It’s cozy, cheesy, and just so good.
Key Ingredients
- Manicotti Shells or Crespelle: I highly recommend making crespelle for this manicotti recipe, but as I mentioned above, you can absolutely use store-bought shells! I’ve included instructions for both options in our recipe below. If you do make the crespelle (Italian crepes), you’ll only need a few simple ingredients: all-purpose flour, milk, eggs, butter, salt, and pepper. The batter comes together quickly and makes light yet sturdy sheets that are perfect for rolling up the manicotti filling.
- Red Pasta Sauce: You can use your favorite pasta sauce (something flavorful and rich works best). One jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce is perfect, or try one of our homemade sauces, like this easy pasta sauce or our marinara sauce.
- Cottage Cheese: I usually use ricotta for my cheese fillings, but I’ve really fallen for cottage cheese in this manicotti filling! It’s creamy, rich, and not at all grainy (like some ricotta cheese can be). Of course, ricotta works beautifully in this recipe, too!
- Mozzarella and Parmesan: We use a generous amount of shredded cheese for the filling and add more on top so it melts and bubbles in the oven. This is a cheese manicotti, after all. If you can find it, Parmigiano-Reggiano is best. If you are a vegetarian and do not eat Parmesan, no worries. Leave it out or substitute it with your favorite vegetarian-friendly cheese (melty fontina would be great, you can usually find vegetarian-friendly options).
- Spinach: We love adding spinach to our cheese filling. I quickly sauté baby spinach leaves in a bit of oil (water would do, too) until they are bright green and wilted. Then, I chop them and add them to the cheese before filling the manicotti.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Manicotti
Tip 1: Choose your manicotti shells. The quickest, easiest option is to buy manicotti shells from the store, boil them in salted water, fill them, and then bake. My favorite way to make manicotti is to make my own shells (or crespelle). Both options are clearly shared in our recipe below.
Tip 2: How to make crespelle (homemade manicotti shells). If you’ve ever made French crêpes, Italian crespelle will feel familiar. The batter comes together quickly in a bowl with a whisk.
You’ll add the batter to a buttered skillet, tilting and swirling the pan to spread it evenly and reach the edges. After 30 seconds to a minute, loosen the pancake with a spatula and flip. If that feels tricky, gently slide it onto a plate and invert it back into the pan. These may look delicate, but are surprisingly sturdy, so there is no need to be timid!
Tip 3: Make the filling. Quickly cook your spinach until wilted, then stir with cottage cheese (or ricotta), the cheeses, an egg, egg yolk, spices, and salt.
Tip 4: Fill and bake. Spoon about ¼ cup of the manicotti filling onto each crespelle, then roll them up (or push them into your store-bought manicotti shells). Place seam-side down in your baking dish.
I usually fit about 10 in a 9×13-inch pan, but the number may vary depending on how much filling you use. Then, top with sauce and cheese, then bake until hot and bubbling, about 35 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This dish is hearty enough to serve by itself, but if you want it to go a bit further and feed more people, consider a light veggie side or homemade garlic bread. I love quickly sautéed zucchini, baked zucchini chips, peach burrata salad, roasted broccoli, sautéed broccoli, roasted broccolini, or a simple Caesar salad.
More Favorite Pasta Recipes
Perfect Manicotti
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We use homemade crespelle (Italian crêpes), which are sturdy enough for the cheese filling but delicate enough to keep this dish light on its feet. If you are in a hurry, feel free to use store-bought manicotti shells. I’ve included tips for using them below the recipe.
You Will Need
Manicotti10 homemade Italian crespelle, recipe below, see tips for store-bought manicotti shells
4 cups fresh spinach, packed (100 g)
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 (16 ounce) container cottage cheese, 4% fat, 1 ¾ cups
1 ½ cups whole-milk mozzarella cheese, 6 ounces (170 g)
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 4 ounces (113 g)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 ½ cups good-quality jarred marinara sauce or homemade pasta sauce
Italian Crespelle1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (195 g)
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 pinch ground white pepper
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups whole milk (355 ml)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (28 g)
½ tablespoon olive oil for cooking crespelle
Directions
- Make Italian Crespelle
1Make the batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. Then, whisk in the milk and eggs until a smooth batter forms (it should be the consistency of thick heavy cream). Finally, whisk in the melted butter until blended.
2Prepare skillet: Heat a 9-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip a paper towel into ½ tablespoon olive oil, then swipe it around the skillet. Save the leftover oil for the next crespelle.
3Cook crespelle: Add batter to the skillet using a ⅓ cup measuring cup. Pick up the pan and tilt it so the batter covers the bottom of the skillet, running it slightly up the sides.
4When the batter looks mostly set (30 to 60 seconds), use a rubber spatula to lift the edge of the crespelle, then wiggle under and flip or use two fingers to quickly grab the crespelle and flip it (this is what I do). If you are concerned, another option is to slide it onto a plate and then invert it back into the skillet.
5Once flipped, let the second side set up (about 30 seconds), and then transfer it to a parchment paper or paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all batter is gone (I usually get 12). I also add a small sheet of parchment paper or paper towel between each crespelle as I stack them.
- Make Manicotti
1Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray.
2Cook spinach: Using the same skillet to make the crespelle, cook the spinach in ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and stir the spinach around the pan until lightly wilted and bright green. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.
3Make cheese topping: Add ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano to a plate, mix with a fork, and set aside to top the manicotti before baking.
4Make filling: In a medium bowl, combine the chopped cooked spinach, cottage cheese, remaining mozzarella (1 cup), remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano (¾ cup), whole egg, egg yolk, basil, Italian seasoning, and ½ teaspoon salt until well blended.
5Assemble: Spread 1 ½ cups of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, and reserve the remaining sauce for topping the manicotti later.
6Lay a crespelle on your work surface, then place about ¼ cup of the cheese filling down in the lower third of the crespelle. Roll up as you would when making enchiladas, and then place seam side down into the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining crespelle (I usually fit 10 in my dish).
7Bake: Spread the remaining sauce over the stuffed manicotti and scatter the reserved cheese over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the center reads 160°F on an internal thermometer, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the cheese to set slightly, and then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
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- Storing: Leftover manicotti stores well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or a covered pan on low heat. You can also freeze for 3 months.
- Store-bought manicotti shells: Use 12 to 14 manicotti shells from an 8-ounce box for a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cook them in salted, boiling water for 8 to 9 minutes (check your box instructions). Then, drain and let them cool on a baking sheet while you prepare the cheese filling. When filling them, use a pastry bag or a large zip-lock bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe the filling into both ends of each shell.
- Leftover crespelle: This recipe usually yields twelve 9-inch crespelle, leaving me with 2 leftover. Enjoy them as a cook’s snack, or store them in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for the morning. I love stuffing them with scrambled eggs and cheese or smoked salmon and cream cheese!
- Nutrition facts are estimates.
My son and I love a great manicotti so I tried this recipe for his birthday. We all sincerely loved it, but I couldn’t quite understand your directions for what to do with the spinach after you sautéed and chopped it. As an experienced cook and from your pictures, I supposed that you stirred it into the cottage cheese mixture. I put all of the spinach inside the crespelles and it turned out great. Did I do this step correctly?
Yay! So happy that you and your son loved the recipe. The cooked spinach goes in when you are making the filling. You did it correctly! 🙂
Oh my goodness these were amazing. Did everything from scratch because I had the time and I’m so glad I did. I did use ricotta but next time I’m going to try the cottage cheese. Crepes were so much easier than I had expected. Homemade marinara although on its own didn’t seem all that good but paired with manicotti delicious. I think I’m use to meaty sauce. It was very fresh. Thank you for your recipe.
I made this recipe last night and it turned out amazing. I followed the recipe exactly and used a homemade meat marinara sauce. The crepselle were easy to make and we really like the texture. I plan to make it at our next dinner party. Thanks so much.
Hi Nanci, we are so excited that you gave the recipe a try and loved it! We think this is a great dinner party dish 🙂
Is it safe to prepare this a little in advance and bake later, or do I run the risk that the crespelle will get soggy?
Absolutely, they hold up very well.
Can’t wait to make these for a special birthday dinner for my grandson. He likes Italian sausage ….would adding cooked and crumbled sausage to the sauce be too heavy to pour on top of crespelle?
That’s wonderful. Yes, Italian sausage would be great. You could add it to the sauce and the crespelle will hold up just fine. Or, you can cook and crumble it into the cheese filling. Both would be delicious!