Easy Cheese Manicotti has been a favorite family recipe for years. The homemade noodles are absolutely delicious and make this dish really stand out. A savory crepe recipe works perfectly for the “noodles” in this delicious manicotti recipe. The cheesy filling is delicious on it’s own, but you can add Italian sausage or ground beef if you want to add some meat to the manicotti.
Easy Cheese Manicotti is made with marinara or spaghetti sauce. I usually just use a jar of store bought sauce to speed things up, but if you have a homemade spaghetti sauce recipe that you love, use that instead!
Ingredients in Easy Cheese Manicotti
To make the manicotti, you will need:
-3 eggs
-1 cup milk
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 lbs. Ricotta cheese
-3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
-1 egg
-1 tsp dried parsley
-1 (24 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
How to make Easy Cheese Manicotti
You will use crepes as the manicotti noodles. To make the noodles, combine the eggs, milk, flour and salt, whisking well until mixture is thin and smooth. I like to use a hand mixer because it makes it a lot easier to get all of the lumps out of the batter. It is easiest to make the crepes if you have a crepe maker like this one, but you can make the crepes in a skillet very easily as well.
To make the crepe noodles in a skillet, put about 1/4 cup of the batter in a heated skillet over medium heat, allowing the batter to coat the bottom thoroughly. Right after pouring the batter in the skillet, pick it up and tilt it around until it makes a nice circle. Cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. You don’t want the noodles to get crispy, so just cook them until they are cooked through but still soft. You want the crepes to be about 5″-6″ so a small skillet will work the best.
To make the crepe noodles with a crepe maker, set the crepe maker on medium heat. Once heated, pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the center and then use the crepe spreader to make a 6″ circle. My crepe maker cooks very quickly so as soon as I’m done spreading the batter, the bottom side is done. Flip the crepe over and cook the other side for about 20 seconds.
To keep the noodles from sticking to each other, place a small piece of wax paper in between each crepe and stack them all up until you are out of batter. You should get about 16-18 crepes from this batter recipe.
EASY CHEESE MANICOTTI
Ingredients
NOODLES
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
CHEESE FILLING
- 1 1/2 lbs. Ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese divided
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp dried parsley
SAUCE
- 1 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- To make the noodles, combine the eggs, milk, flour and salt, whisking well until mixture is thin and smooth. I like to use a hand mixer because it makes it a lot easier to get all of the lumps out of the batter. It is easiest to make the crepes if you have a crepe maker but you can make the crepes in a skillet very easily as well. -To make the crepe noodles in a skillet, put about 1/4 cup of the batter in a heated skillet over medium heat, allowing the batter to coat the bottom thoroughly. Right after pouring the batter in the skillet, pick it up and tilt it around until it makes a nice circle. Cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. You don't want the noodles to get crispy, so just cook them until they are cooked through but still soft. You want the crepes to be about 5"-6" so a small skillet will work the best.-To make the crepe noodles with a crepe maker, set the crepe maker on medium heat. Once heated, pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the center and then use the crepe spreader to make a 6" circle. My crepe maker cooks very quickly so as soon as I'm done spreading the batter, the bottom side is done. Flip the crepe over and cook the other side for about 20 seconds.
- To keep the noodles from sticking to each other, place a small piece of wax paper in between each crepe and stack them all up until you are out of batter. You should get about 16-18 crepes from this batter recipe.
- Mix the Ricotta cheese, half of the shredded Parmesan, the egg and the dried parsley until well combined.
- Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of an ungreased 9X13 pan. Spoon about 2-3 tablespoonfuls of the cheese mixture into each noodle. Roll up each filled crepe and place into the pan, seam side down. Once all the noodles are filled and placed in the pan, pour and spread the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the top.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 more minutes. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top and then cook for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Video
Notes
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What kind of cheese do you use in cheese manicotti?
The cheese filling is a mixture of ricotta and parmesan cheese. You could also use Romano or mozzarella cheese or any blend of these types of cheeses instead of the ricotta cheese. The ricotta cheese provides a thick, creamy texture that is absolutely perfect as a filling in manicotti.
Can you freeze manicotti?
If you freeze the manicotti after it is assembled, the homemade noodles tend to become a little bit mushy when baked. You can make the crepes in advance and then freeze them. Make sure to place wax paper in between each of the crepes and then wrap the entire stack of crepes in plastic wrap before placing in an airtight freezer bag or container. When you are ready to make the manicotti, you can thaw the crepes, make the filling and assemble the manicotti just before baking.
How do you make homemade manicotti noodles?
Homemade manicotti noodles are crepes that can easily be made in a skillet or with a crepe maker. The batter is thin enough that it spreads easily which is necessary for making the noodles thin enough. These crepe noodles are thin, but sturdy enough to hold lots of cheesy filling without falling apart. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making your own noodles – homemade manicotti noodles are really easy to make! And the homemade noodles are easier to fill also because they are flat and you can roll them up after adding the filling. Store bought manicotti noodles come as tubes that you have to try to get the filling into which can be a little tricky!
Lee Ann says
For people with less time, or don’t now how to make crepes, you can buy the crepe shells in a package at the store, they’re pretty good. I prefer to make my own, and they aren’t difficult to do. But somebody in a hurry can just buy them. then make this dish.
Jackie Courtier says
This is the best stew ever. I shared it with 2.friends and a neighbor and they we’re full of compliments. We put sour cream on top all I can say is Wow! Yummmy!!!!
Olivia says
I’m so glad you all loved it as much as we do!