Best 7 Spinach Cheese Manicotti Recipes
In the world of Italian cuisine, manicotti stands as a delectable dish that tantalizes taste buds with its irresistible combination of flavors and textures. These large pasta tubes, often compared to oversized cannelloni, are filled with a rich and creamy mixture of spinach, ricotta, and Parmesan cheese, then baked to perfection in a flavorful tomato sauce. As you delve into this article, you'll embark on a culinary journey, discovering not just one, but three enticing variations of this classic Italian dish: the traditional Spinach and Cheese Manicotti, a vegetarian delight filled with sautéed spinach, creamy ricotta, and a blend of cheeses; the hearty Sausage and Spinach Manicotti, featuring a savory filling of Italian sausage, spinach, and a trio of cheeses; and the luscious Butternut Squash Manicotti, a vegetarian masterpiece brimming with roasted butternut squash, ricotta, and Parmesan cheese. Each recipe unfolds with detailed instructions, guiding you through the process of preparing the filling, stuffing the manicotti shells, and creating a delectable sauce that complements the dish's flavors. Get ready to immerse yourself in the art of Italian cooking and savor the exquisite flavors of these homemade manicotti creations.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
SPINACH CHEESE MANICOTTI
The creamy cheese filling in these yummy stuffed shells has a pretty flecks of spinach. Margaret Truxton, Pinehurst, North Carolina
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 50m
Yield 4 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a small skillet, saute onion in oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Set aside. , In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper; beat until smooth. Stir in onion mixture and spinach. Stuff into the manicotti shells., Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce., Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 682 calories, Fat 38g fat (19g saturated fat), Cholesterol 101mg cholesterol, Sodium 1418mg sodium, Carbohydrate 56g carbohydrate (21g sugars, Fiber 7g fiber), Protein 33g protein.
SPINACH & CHEESE STUFFED MANICOTTI
This is a wonderfully cheesy manicotti recipe made easier by not having to cook the shells first. Comfort food at it's finest. The original recipe source idea is RecipeGirl, but made a few of my own changes and additions. Hope you try it, it is worth the time.
Provided by Meekocu2
Categories Manicotti
Time 1h45m
Yield 12-14 manicotti, 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350* F.
- Combine sauce and sausage in the same skillet sausage was cooked, keep warm.
- In a large bowl, mix spinach, cheeses, eggs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir together until well blended.
- Place about 2 cups sauce in a 9X13 inch casserole dish. Spread it around to cover the bottom.
- Now, to fill the manicotti. You can do this however you wish. You can use a pastry bag, or a zip-lock bag with a corner cut, or a spoon. I chose to use an old baby spoon (from when my daughter was a baby, the kind with the rubber temperature controlled end). I had fantastic results doing it that way. I highly recommend doing it that way. You may have to fill half, turn manicotti around and fill from the other end, as I did. Try to get as much filling in as possible, letting it over flow from the ends. Place the filled shell into the sauce-lined dish. Repeat with the remaining manicotti shells, and fill the dish with the stuffed shells, until you either run out of room, or shells or filling. I ran out of room first, I got twelve into my casserole dish. (I did have left over filling, which I froze.) You could also use two separate smaller dishes, and freeze one for another meal.
- Cover pasta with sauce, you don't have to use it all, just make sure all the exposed manicotti are covered in sauce, about 2 ½ cups. Place sliced mozzarella on top of sauce and sprinkle remaining ½ cup shredded cheese mix over the mozzarella. At this point, you can cover with foil and refrigerate until you're ready to bake, or you can cover with foil and place it in the oven immediately.
- Bake, covered with foil, 50 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
- Tips:.
- It's perfectly fine if you want to use full fat versions of the cheeses, we just prefer the low fat and fat free versions.
- It's perfectly fine to leave the spinach out and turn this into just a cheese manicotti.
CHEESE SPINACH MANICOTTI
No one will even miss the meat in this hearty, delicious meal. Cream cheese and cottage cheese beef up the filling and give this lasagna-like dish a creamy base. -Julie Lower, Katy, Texas
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 1h50m
Yield 7 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, wine, Italian seasoning, sugar and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, for filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs and salt., Stuff cream cheese mixture into uncooked manicotti shells. Spread 1 cup sauce into a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spay. Arrange manicotti over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top., Cover and bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until pasta is tender. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 389 calories, Fat 9g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 80mg cholesterol, Sodium 722mg sodium, Carbohydrate 50g carbohydrate (15g sugars, Fiber 5g fiber), Protein 25g protein.
ULTIMATE CRAB AND SPINACH MANICOTTI WITH PARMESAN CHEESE SAUCE
You can cheat and make this with imitation crabmeat but of course the real stuff is better, if you are using frozen crabmeat make certain to squeeze out any excess moisture before using for this recipe --- if you are a spinach lover then add in the full box of spinach if not just use half a box as the spinach tends be over powering, you can use 1 pound fresh spinach in place of frozen --- you can stuff the shells and refrigerate until ready to bake, and this is also great with a red sauce instead of the Parmesan cheese sauce :)
Provided by Kittencalrecipezazz
Categories Crab
Time 1h25m
Yield 15 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- To make the sauce: in a saucepan over medium heat melt butter.
- Add in flour and whisk for about 3 minutes.
- Add in milk and half and half whisk over heat until bubbly and thickened.
- Add in the Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste; stir until the cheese melts.
- Set oven to 375 degrees.
- Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- In a bowl mix together crab, well drained spinach, ricotta, and Parmesan cheese, onions, egg, salt and pepper; mix well to combine.
- Fill each cooked shell with crab/cheese filling using clean hands.
- Place in a single layer in prepared baking dish.
- Cover with the Parmesan cheese sauce (does not have to cover completely!).
- Sprinkle with grated mozzeralla cheese (any amount desired).
- Bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes (do not over bake!).
Nutrition Facts : Calories 234.8, Fat 15.2, SaturatedFat 9.2, Cholesterol 72.7, Sodium 602.4, Carbohydrate 6.9, Fiber 1.4, Sugar 1.6, Protein 18.3
SPINACH CHEESE MANICOTTI
My husband says this dish is restaurant quality. It can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator overnight. Very filling and great served with a salad and garlic bread.
Provided by Ernie
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 1h5m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Season with parsley, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. In a separate bowl, stir together spaghetti sauce and water.
- Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 576.1 calories, Carbohydrate 69 g, Cholesterol 81.8 mg, Fat 20.5 g, Fiber 9.2 g, Protein 29.8 g, SaturatedFat 9.7 g, Sodium 1409.9 mg, Sugar 24.4 g
SPINACH-AND-CHEESE-STUFFED MANICOTTI
Steps:
- Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 3/4 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, spinach, nutmeg and pepper. Spoon about 3 tablespoons into each shell. Arrange shells in 2-quart baking dish. Combine tomato paste, broth, mushrooms and Italian seasoning; season with salt, if desired. Pour over shells. Bake, covered, in preheated 350°F oven, 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 10 minutes more. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
SPINACH CHEESE MANICOTTI (MEATLESS)
Adapted from Taste of Home magazine. Prep time also includes time to cook the manicotti noodles. I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the mixture, to taste. Make sure you squeeze the thawed spinach as dry as possible.
Provided by HeatherFeather
Categories Manicotti
Time 1h25m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a small skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for about 3 minutes, set aside.
- In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, just 1/2 cup of the mozarella, all of the cream cheese, just 4 Tbsp of the Parmesan,the Italian seasoning, and the pepper until smooth.
- Add the onion mixture to the cheese mixture, along with the spinach (along with a dash to taste of both freshly grated nutmeg and some cinnamon).
- Fill the cooked manicotti noodles either with a spoon or by piping the mixture (using a decorating bag or a ziptop bag with one end snipped off).
- Pour half of the sauce into the bottom of a greased 9x13" casserole.
- Place filled manicotti in the pan on top of the sauce, then pour the remaining sauce over the top.
- Cover an bake at 350 F 25 minutes.
- Remove the cover, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes more to melt cheese.
Tips:
- To make the filling, sauté the spinach in a pan with olive oil until wilted. Drain any excess liquid using a colander or paper towels.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the manicotti shells in half lengthwise. This will make them easier to fill.
- Spoon the filling into each manicotti shell, using about 2 tablespoons per shell. Be careful not to overfill them, or they will split open during baking.
- To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
- Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour the sauce over the manicotti shells and bake for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the manicotti shells are heated through.
- Serve the manicotti hot, topped with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Conclusion:
Spinach and cheese manicotti is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a special occasion or a weeknight dinner. The tender manicotti shells are filled with a creamy spinach and cheese filling and then baked in a rich cheese sauce. This dish is sure to be a hit with everyone at the table.
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