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    Home / Recipes / Family Dinner

    5 Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

    By Heather · Published: Jul 8, 2012 · Updated: May 21, 2020 · This post may contain affiliate links · See the privacy policy linked in my footer.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I'm going to go out on a limb and throw out there that this 5 cheese stuffed manicotti isn't exactly "authentic Italian". But for what it lacks in authenticity it makes up for in deliciousness.Cheese stuffed manicotti in a glass bowl on a white and green towel


    Maybe it has something to do with Mario, but I'm feeling all Italian lately. Pasta has been on the menu a lot the past few weeks and I kind of don't want to stop eating it. This could get ugly.

    So, before I go all carb-a-holic on you, here are my cuties playing at the beach on the 4th. I meant to share some of these on my last post and probably got distracted by pasta. Whoops.

    See, we're active! Carbs are good for active people. J

    dad and daughter running on the beach

    I sure like this girl.

    young girl holding a starfish on the beach

    We had an awesome Fourth playing on the beach, eating good food, watching fireworks, and getting puked on by my other cutie. Well, the walk home after fireworks covered in my toddlers un-mentionables might not have been a highlight, but I'll take what I can get.

    Okay, pasta time! I'm going to go out on a limb and throw out there that this manicotti isn't exactly "authentic Italian". But for what it lacks in authenticity it makes up for in deliciousness. I'm a cheese girl {see one of my many aspirations here} so anything that can pack a five-cheese-punch is right up my alley, especially when it's stuffed inside of pasta. The glory of this dish is that it comes together really quickly and tastes like you've been cooking all day! A total win in my book.

    You'll start by cooking your tomato sauce which consists of just 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes, olive oil, salt, basil and a touch of sugar. Bring those ingredients to a boil and let simmer until you're ready to use it. Next up is cooking your pasta: cook the manicotti tubes (or jumbo shells work well too) by following the package instructions for al dente -not all the way soft and cooked, or in Italian "to the tooth", draining them and lying to dry on some paper towels. Meanwhile, the cheeses are simply mixed together until combined and then scooped into a Ziploc bag to make filling the shells easy – a cake decorating bag without a tip on it does the trick too. Push all of the cheese mixture to one corner of the bag, snip off the end and you're ready to fill your shells.

    manicotti filling in a ziplock bag on a countertop

    Prepare your baking dish by spreading about a cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom and begin to fill the pasta tubes by squeezing a steady stream of cheese into each one until they expand a bit.

    piping manicotti filling into a manicotti shell

    Lay the filled pasta side-by-side on top of the sauce until all the cheese is used, top with the remaining sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly, removing foil for the last 10 minutes to let cheese brown on top.

    Can you resist? I really wish I still had some of these left-overs in my fridge right now because I'd be all up in its business. Watch out my pasta-lovin' peeps, this stuff is whack!

    Holla!

    {sorry, sometimes it's hard to stop}

    close up bite of manicotti

    cheese manicotti in a glass dish on a green and white towel

    5 Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

    5 cheeses, one delicious pasta dish!
    By Heather Cheney
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 12-16 manicotti pasta tubes or jumbo shell pasta
    • 32 oz ricotta cheese
    • 2 C mozzarella cheese grated
    • 1 C cheddar cheese grated
    • 4 oz. cream cheese softened
    • 1 C parmesan cheese grated
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 egg
    • 2 teaspoon garlic minced
    • ½ C additional parmesan cheese for top
    • Sauce
    • 2 cans 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 2 teaspoon dried basil

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    • Sauce
    • Combine tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in dried basil. Set aside.
    • Cook pasta tubes or shells according to the package directions for “al dente” or just slightly under cooked. Drain from pasta water and lay on paper towels to slightly dry.
    • Cheese Mixture
    • Combine cheeses, egg, salt, and garlic until well mixed and spoon into a large ziploc bag. Squeeze mixture into one corner of the bag and snip off the end.
    • Spoon about a cup of sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish. Working one at a time, squeeze a steady stream of cheese into each pasta tube until the sides firm up. Place each filled shell into the baking dish and spoon remaining tomato sauce over the filled pasta once all the cheese mixture is used. Sprinkle remaining ½ C of parmesan cheese over the filled pasta and cover with foil.
    • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly, removing foil for last 10 minutes of cooking to help brown the cheese.

    Nutrition Facts

    Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 1107 kcal | Carbohydrates: 48 g | Protein: 63 g | Fat: 73 g | Saturated Fat: 42 g | Cholesterol: 278 mg | Sodium: 1663 mg | Potassium: 501 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 2305 IU | Vitamin C: 0.4 mg | Calcium: 1306 mg | Iron: 2.7 mg

    Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rabliand says

      January 04, 2023 at 8:11 pm

      5 stars
      I'm seeking for the best manicotti dish, and this one sounds perfect for next week's dinner. Play duck life to complete fascinating daily quests.

      Reply
    2. Jorge SCooper says

      December 23, 2022 at 12:23 am

      5 stars
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      Reply
    3. Binky says

      December 02, 2022 at 3:09 am

      It looks so yummy
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      Reply
    4. Virgil Nolan says

      September 22, 2022 at 8:48 am

      5 stars
      So easy and yummy!!
      drift hunters

      Reply
    5. Virgil Nolan says

      September 22, 2022 at 8:48 am

      5 stars
      So easy and yummy!!

      Reply
    6. Lisnis says

      September 19, 2022 at 8:43 am

      google

      Reply
    7. Sasha says

      February 04, 2015 at 8:52 pm

      This sounds great,next week I'm going to be making manicotti,and im looking for the best recipe!!my first time

      Reply
    8. Amanda says

      November 14, 2013 at 4:07 pm

      I had to make an adjustment, as the ricotta I had in the fridge was spoiled! I used double the amount of cream cheese, about a cup and a half of mozzarella and all other measurements remained pretty much the same. I added some fresh thyme, basil, and parsley to the cheese mixture. This was the best mixture ever! I never thought of using cream cheese, but the flavor and texture was amazing. I also added some cooked broccoli to the cheese mixture before stuffing it in shells. Will never use another recipe again! My husband who hates cream cheese and my two year old loved this too 🙂

      Reply
    9. molly says

      July 11, 2012 at 6:11 am

      Making homemade noodles is very easy. Its 1 part flour 1 part water 1 egg and a dash of salt. Youtube it very easy and SO YUMMY!

      Reply

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