Stuffed manicotti is a rich, comforting pasta dish that is fun to make and a total crowd-pleaser. You'll find our Test Kitchen's stuffed manicotti recipe requires a lot of the same ingredients as a classic lasagna, with a few delicious twists. The main difference is you'll be cutting into a tender stuffed pasta noodle (or shell) that's stuffed with a cheesy, creamy, totally swoon-worthy ricotta filling. If you've had stuffed manicotti at a restaurant but have yet to try making it yourself, get some of our best tips on making manicotti for a meal the family will request again and again.

What Is Stuffed Manicotti?

Manicotti, Italian for "little muffs," is a large tubular pasta that is stuffed, covered in sauce, and baked. What's put inside stuffed manicotti can vary, but most traditional versions of Italian-American pasta dish contain either a cheese filling made with ricotta or meat—also commonly called cannelloni.

Stuffed Manicotti Ingredients

• Pasta: Large manicotti noodles are traditional, but you can also use jumbo pasta shells in this stuffed manicotti recipe.
• Cheese: We blend ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan for the best flavor and creamy consistency. An Italian blend of shredded cheese would be super tasty here, too.
• Eggs: A couple of eggs help bind the cheesy filling together.
• Italian Seasoning: This dried herb blend adds the classic Italian flavor to the sauce and filling. If you don't have any on hand, use one or a combo of dried basil and oregano.
• Ground meat: Ground beef or bulk Italian sausage add the savory meaty flavor to the homemade meat sauce. You can swap in ground turkey or plant-based crumbles.
• Onion: Chopped onion adds balance and sweetness to the sauce.
• Garlic: A few cloves cooked in the sauce adds it's signature aromatic flavor to the sauce.
• Red wine: We like a splash of red wine in the sauce for a deeper, richer flavor. You can also use chicken broth.
• Crushed tomatoes: Canned crushed tomatoes are the base of our signature manicotti meat sauce.
• Fennel Seed: A common aromatic seed used to flavor sausage, it's sweet, earthy, flavor is perfect in this sauce.
  

Tips for Stuffing Manicotti Noodles

• Slightly undercook the manicotti noodles to help them not tear or fall apart while assembling the dish. They'll finish cooking to their tender state in the oven.
• Struggling to get the filling in the manicotti? Put the filling in a pastry bag fitted with a large tip and easily squeeze it into each noodle. You can also try using a long spoon such as an iced tea spoon and using the long side to add the filling.

Using Stuffed Shells Instead of Manicotti

Change up this stuffed pasta recipe to your liking. To stuff shells instead of manicotti, mound the filling into 12 to 15 cooked jumbo pasta shells.