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February 5, 2013

Manicotti Roll Ups

2

Manicotti Roll Ups

This is the easiest manicotti you’ll ever make.

The easiest - and best - manicotti you'll ever eat! #recipes #pasta

Unless, of course, your Pyrex baking dish explodes in the oven during the last five minutes of baking.

And when I say “explode,” that’s really what I mean. Biggest.Mess.Ever.  Not only that, but a ton of ingredients down the drain and no dinner to boot.

As the Tall Boy was scraping the mess out of the bottom of the oven (he’s a keeper!), he said, “This still looks good, even like this.”

Anyway, new weekend, new baking dish…another attempt at the manicotti.  When I pulled the dish out of the oven, Doodle yelled downstairs, “Dad!  The manicotti dish didn’t explode this time!  We can eat it!”

And we did.  We ate the heck out of it.

The easiest - and best - manicotti you'll ever eat! #recipes #pasta
I have to be honest, I’m not the most patient person in the kitchen.  And even though the Tall Boy loves manicotti, I rarely make it, because I’d rather gouge my eye with a hot poker than stuff an entire pan of delicate pasta shells.  But with this method, there is no stuffing involved.  Simply soften some no-boil noodles, dollop on some filling, and roll.

Easy-peasy!

I made my own sauce here, but for an even easier/quicker version, you could certainly use your favorite jarred sauce.  I also added sausage to my sauce, because the guys I live with insist on eating meat with their meals.  However, this filling was rich enough on its own that I think the dish would stand well enough on its own without meat.

Manicotti Roll Ups
 
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Ingredients
Tomato Sauce:
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic gloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
  • 1 pound cooked sausage, optional
Cheese Filling:
  • 24 ounces (3 cups) part-skim Ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 16 no-boil lasagna noodles (I used Barilla)
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 375 and adjust oven rack to the middle position.
For the sauce:
  1. Pulse tomatoes, one can at a time, in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
  2. Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook until garlic turns golden, about 3 minutes. Do not allow garlic to brown. Stir in chopped tomatoes, sausage (if using), and ½ teaspoon salt. Allow sauce to simmer, and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in basil and additional salt, to taste.
For the filling:
  1. Combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Pour 2-inches of boiling water into a 9x13 pan. Place lasagna noodles into pan, 1 at a time, and soak about 5 minutes, or until pliable. Remove noodles to a clean kitchen towel and dry out your baking dish.
  3. Spread 1 ½ cups of tomato sauce into the bottom of your 9x13 pan. Spread ¼ cup of cheese filling evenly onto the bottom three-quarters of each noodle. Roll noodle into a tube shape and place into your baking dish seam-side down. Top with remaining sauce.
  4. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until bubbling, rotating halfway through. Remove foil from pan and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Turn on broiler, and heat until cheese is spotty brown, about 5 minutes.
Notes
recipe from Cook's Illustrated
3.5.3251

21 Comments

  1. Jocelyn @BruCrew Life
    Jocelyn @BruCrew Life on February 5, 2013 at 7:50 am

    Yay for saving time by just rolling in a noodle…I always hate filling those shells too!!! And your dish actually exploded in the oven? That’s crazy…and sad because dinner was ruined. It looks great!!!
    Jocelyn @BruCrew Life recently posted..Trick or Treat Tuesday #5My Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on February 5, 2013 at 6:11 pm

      That darn pan shattered into a million itty bitty pieces–total disaster. My husband was especially disappointed because he’d been fantasizing about eating manicotti all day. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
    Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen on February 5, 2013 at 10:02 am

    That does look wonderful! I am glad the second batch was able to be eaten! Yuck what a mess that must have been!
    Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen recently posted..Show Me Your Plaid Monday’s #9My Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on February 5, 2013 at 6:12 pm

      It was a mess! Fortunately, everything turned out okay the second time. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jessica@AKitchenAddiction
    Jessica@AKitchenAddiction on February 5, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    Love how easy this is! So glad that everything worked out the second time around!
    Jessica@AKitchenAddiction recently posted..Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip CookiesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on February 5, 2013 at 6:12 pm

      Now that I’ve made it this way, I’ll never go the traditional route again. I love easy. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Liz
    Liz on February 5, 2013 at 6:11 pm

    I only ever use the no-cook shells – soooo much easier and quicker! Too bad about your pyrex dish, I’ve never heard of that happening before! Have a great week!
    Liz recently posted..Red Velvet Cinnamon BunsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on February 5, 2013 at 6:15 pm

      Those no-cook shells are a life-saver! I’ve used pyrex forever with no problem–I’m not sure what happened to cause it this time, but it sure was a disaster. 🙁

      Reply
  5. Heather @ SugarDish(Me)
    Heather @ SugarDish(Me) on February 5, 2013 at 7:56 pm

    They should put a warning on the freaking Pyrex! I exploded my 8 X 8 in the oven. Brownies. So depressing. My mom exploded a Pyrex casserole on the stove on Christmas once. Broccoli & Rice shrapnel everywhere with me & my sisters diving for cover. Anyway— I roll up lasagna noodles all the time; the manicotti roll ups look great!
    Heather @ SugarDish(Me) recently posted..Peanut Butter Banana Whole Wheat PancakesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on February 5, 2013 at 8:13 pm

      No kidding! Don’t think I’ll be using Pyrex anymore! It was a mess, not to mention dangerous!

      Reply
  6. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
    Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust on February 5, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    WOW! I have heard that about Pyrex. I worry every time I use it! And I loooooooove manicotti. SO much.
    Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted..Nutella Chocolate Pudding Cookies with Strawberry HeartsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on February 6, 2013 at 7:46 pm

      Now I’m worried about using my other Pyrex dishes–scary! And messy. 🙁

      Reply
  7. sally @ sallys baking addiction
    sally @ sallys baking addiction on February 6, 2013 at 11:20 am

    i’ve been searching for the perfect tomato sauce recipe Ashley! This one looks fabulous. And I love manicotti. I haven’t had it in probably 5 years. I need to change that!
    sally @ sallys baking addiction recently posted..peanut butter cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting.My Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on February 6, 2013 at 7:49 pm

      I hadn’t made homemade manicotti in years, either. I am usually to lazy to do it. This recipe was worth it, though. And the sauce was super simple, but still great!

      Reply
  8. Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats
    Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats on May 14, 2013 at 8:08 am

    Oh this looks absolutely wonderful and I also HATE stuffing noodles with a passion. Henceforth why I NEVER make manicotti! Now I can 🙂
    Julie @ Julie’s Eats & Treats recently posted..Poppy Seed Cake & Gooseberry Patch Cook Book Giveaway!My Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on May 14, 2013 at 8:31 pm

      Thanks, Julie! I hate stuffing shells, too–this version makes it so much easier!

      Reply
  9. Elissa
    Elissa on November 18, 2013 at 12:06 pm

    Looking forward to trying this…can you specify what you mean by “rotating” in step #7?

    Reply
    • Ashley
      Ashley on November 18, 2013 at 12:09 pm

      Hi Elissa! I rotated the pan 180 degrees, for more even cooking. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Bonny Lee
    Bonny Lee on January 6, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    Ashley,

    I remember reading, some time ago, that when Pyrex was sold to another company, the dishes were made differently, making them liable to explode in certain situations. They are supposed to have different wording on the bottom of the dish, but I don’t remember what that was now. Maybe a google search would find that information.

    I’m wondering if a wonton skin would work in place of the manicotti, or lasagna, noodle. I’ve always put the filling in a piping bag to fill uncooked manicotti noodles, and then baked them in tomato sauce. It’s similar to recipes for making lasagna without pre-cooking the pasta.

    Ina Garten recently made lasagna with regular lasagna noodles, and she did not pre-cook the pasta. She said you only have to soak them in hot water. She didn’t use boiling water, just hot water out of the faucet.

    I’m anxious to try this recipe, but I’m going to put the sausage in the filling, instead of the sauce. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  11. Susie
    Susie on March 24, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    Hi, I’ve been using egg roll wrappers for years, no just for manicotti but also to fill with fresh berrys, spray with pam, sprinkle with sugar & bake till crispy. We love them !

    Reply
  12. Debi
    Debi on April 28, 2016 at 7:56 am

    In place of lasagne noodles, I use egg roll wraps with same results. If you read the labels, they all have the same ingrediants…

    Reply

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