Delicious pasta stuffed to the brim with savory meat, cheese and herbs – dig in to this meaty manicotti!
Stuffed food is always elegantly delicious. From stuffed vegetables (like Stuffed Peppers and Mushrooms) to stuffed meats (like Stuffed Salmon and Pork Chops), filling the gaps in your food with delicious meats, cheeses, and other flavorful ingredients is a recipe for fantastic food! Just look at stuffed dough, a category of stuffed food that’s so broad that it includes everything from bao buns to stromboli and, more relevant to today’s recipe, stuffed pastas! From Spinach-Stuffed Ravioli to Ricotta Stuffed Shells, pasta is perfect for fillings of just about any kind – and manicotti is no exception!
Manicotti pasta is a large, tube-like pasta which is practically designed to be stuffed (classically with ricotta, and parsley) and baked, making it one of the quintessential stuffed foods! My stuffed manicotti is filled with meaty flavor from deliciously seasoned ground beef and melty ricotta cheese (plus savory mozzarella and Parmesan on top of it all!) and baked to absolute perfection! Enjoy an Italian-American classic made easy with meat-stuffed manicotti!
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Stuffed manicotti is delicious fresh out of the oven; but, it’s even more tasty after a day of resting! Like any baked pasta, the longer it has time to rest, the more structurally sound it will be and the more time the flavors get to mingle with each other! Refrigerate your cooled pasta in its original bakeware with a saran cover or plastic wrap on top and reheat either as divided portions in the microwave or as a whole in the oven!
My Pasta Is Firm. What Went Wrong?
If you don’t have enough sauce in your baked stuffed pasta, you get a dry bake. Make sure your pasta is given lots of moisture to cook with or else you’ll end up with a chewy pasta texture.
My Stuffed Manicotti Is Unevenly Baked. What Happened?
One of two things can cause a baked pasta to be unevenly cooked: 1), the oven has an uneven distribution of heat or, 2), the water/sauce covering the pasta wasn’t evenly dispersed. Balance, both in the application of heat and the distribution of moisture, is key to ensuring a thorough and consistent bake!
Serving Suggestions
Stuffed manicotti is a delicious, meaty entrée that calls for other delicious Italian-American classics to pair with! Serve up an appetizer of soup like Classic Italian Lentil Soup or homemade Zuppa Toscana! Looking for sides to go with your stuffed manicotti? Try this Easy Sautéed Broccoli or perhaps this Perfectly Roasted Eggplant.
And for dessert? How about an exciting twist on an Italian classic with this Matcha Tiramisu? It certainly makes for an elegant and impressive dish.
Meat Stuffed Manicotti
Ingredients
- 12 manicotti pasta shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for garnish
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cook manicotti shells in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Cook until beef is browned and fully cooked. Drain excess grease and let cool.
- In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, and the cooled ground beef. Mix well.
- Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Fill each manicotti shell with the beef and cheese mixture and place in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the stuffed manicotti.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
Absolutely delicious! My mom used to make manicotti when I was young but didn’t have the chance to leave me her recipe. I’m so glad to have found this one! I made it with ground beef and Italian sausage and it was delightful. Thank you so much!
So lovely to read, thanks!!