Best Baked Manicotti — A Dish for the Table I’m Still Setting

Brayden is one hundred and thirty-six weeks old. The pregnancy is at thirty-six weeks. The last pre-baby catering job — the Adriane-bridal-shower for Cassie Holcombe’s friend — wrapped Saturday May 4. The cafe-expansion construction started Wednesday May 1. The week was the small wrap-up-and-pivot week before the new-baby arrival.

The best baked manicotti is the small Italian-American comfort-casserole — large pasta tubes stuffed with a ricotta-and-mozzarella-and-spinach filling, layered in a baking dish with marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella, baked at 375 for thirty-five minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden. The dish is the small make-ahead casserole that I am planning to freeze in single-meal portions for the new-baby weeks.

The technique question on baked manicotti is the pasta-stuffing. The cooked-pasta-tubes are slippery and the filling is dense. The fix is putting the filling in a small piping bag (or a zipper-top plastic bag with a corner cut off) and piping the filling into the tubes. The piping is much easier than spooning.

Sunday I made two casseroles. One for Sunday dinner. One for the freezer. The freezer-casserole is the small first-deposit in the new-baby-meals-bank I am building over the next four weeks.

Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives at two PM. She stays for two hours. She holds Brayden (and later helps with both kids). She drinks the small cup of coffee I keep ready. We talk through the small week’s family-news. The small visits are the small social-thread that connects the Tulsa-apartment-life to the small Sapulpa-extended-family.

Brayden’s small developmental milestones have been arriving on the small typical-schedule. The pediatrician has been pleased at the small monthly check-ins. The small baby-and-now-toddler life continues to be the small foreground of the small family-of-three rhythm.

Best Baked Manicotti

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 12 manicotti shells
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 large egg
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups marinara sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil and spread 1 cup of marinara sauce across the bottom.
2. Cook the pasta. Boil the manicotti shells in salted water for 6–7 minutes, until just shy of al dente. Drain, rinse gently with cold water, and lay them out on a clean kitchen towel so they don’t stick together.
3. Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir until well blended.
4. Fill the shells. Use a small spoon or a piping bag to carefully fill each manicotti shell with the ricotta mixture. Arrange the filled shells in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
5. Top and cover. Spoon the remaining 2 cups of marinara sauce evenly over the shells. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
6. Bake covered. Bake covered for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the pasta is fully tender.
7. Bake uncovered. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 12–15 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted, golden, and slightly crisp at the edges.
8. Rest and serve. Let the manicotti rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with extra parsley and a pinch of Parmesan if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 51g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 780mg