Mannacote Recipe: How to Make This Italian Pasta Dish

Mannacote is a variant name for manicotti—large Italian pasta tubes stuffed with ricotta cheese and baked in marinara sauce. This Italian-American comfort dish takes about 60 minutes to prepare and serves 6-8 people with a hearty, cheese-filled result perfect for family dinners.

What Is Mannacote?

Mannacote is another name for manicotti, the classic Italian-American baked pasta dish. You’ll find large pasta tubes stuffed with cheese filling and covered in marinara sauce, then baked until bubbly.

The name “mannacote” likely comes from regional pronunciation variations or mishearing “manicotti” over time. Italian immigrants brought manicotti to America in the late 1800s, where it became a family dinner staple.

The original Italian word “manicotti” translates to “little sleeves” because of the pasta’s tubular shape. American cooks adapted the recipe using ingredients they could find easily—ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and jarred marinara sauce.

Today, whether you call it manicotti or manicotti, you’re talking about the same comforting dish. It shows up at holiday dinners, potlucks, and Sunday family meals across the country.

Mannacote vs Manicotti vs Cannelloni

These three dishes confuse many people because they look similar. Here’s how they compare:

The key difference: Mannacote and manicotti are the same dish with different names. Cannelloni uses thinner pasta (sometimes rolled by hand) and often includes béchamel sauce instead of just marinara.

Essential Ingredients for Mannacote

You need these core ingredients to make authentic mannacote:

For the Pasta:

• 12-14 manicotti shells (about 8 oz)
• Large pot of salted water

For the Cheese Filling:

• 2 cups ricotta cheese (16 oz)
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella (6 oz)
• ½ cup grated parmesan (2 oz)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For Assembly:

• 3½ cups marinara sauce (28 oz jar)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella for topping

Optional Add-Ins:

• 1 cup cooked, drained spinach (for a vegetarian boost)
• ½ lb cooked Italian sausage or ground beef (for meat version)
• Fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
• Pinch of nutmeg (traditional Italian touch)

Ingredient Substitutions

How to Make Mannacote:

Total Time: 60 minutes (15 prep + 20 assembly + 25 baking) Serves: 6-8 people Difficulty: Moderate

Preparation (15 minutes)

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Boil the pasta shells. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add manicotti shells and cook for 6-7 minutes—they should be slightly undercooked (firmer than al dente). Drain and lay them flat on a baking sheet to prevent sticking.
3. Make the cheese filling. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, 1½ cups mozzarella, parmesan, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth but don’t overmix. The egg helps bind everything during baking.
4. Prepare your baking dish. Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce across the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. This prevents the pasta from sticking and adds moisture.

Assembly (20 minutes)

5. Stuff the shells carefully. Use a spoon or piping bag to fill each shell with the cheese mixture. Fill them completely but don’t overstuff—the filling expands slightly as it bakes. If a shell tears, place the torn side down in the dish.
6. Arrange in the dish. Place filled shells seam-side down in a single layer. They can touch but shouldn’t overlap.
7. Add sauce and cheese. Pour remaining marinara sauce over the shells, making sure each one gets covered. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella evenly across the top.

Baking (25-30 minutes)

8. Cover and bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Uncover and brown. Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese on top turns golden and bubbly.
10. Rest before serving. Let the dish sit for 5 minutes after removing from the oven. This helps the filling set and makes serving easier.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Pasta tears when stuffing: Undercook the shells by 1-2 minutes. They’ll finish cooking in the oven and stay pliable during stuffing. Let them cool slightly before handling.
2. Filling runs out during baking: Your ricotta might have too much moisture. Place ricotta in a fine-mesh strainer for 15 minutes before mixing to drain excess liquid.
3. Dry, crusty result: You need enough sauce to cover every shell completely. Use at least 3½ cups of marinara. If your sauce looks sparse, add another half cup before baking.
4. Soggy bottom layer: Don’t skip spreading sauce on the dish bottom, but make it a thin layer (not pooling). The pasta needs moisture to cook through without getting waterlogged.
5. Uneven cooking: Use a 9×13-inch dish to ensure shells sit in a single layer. Stacking them creates cold spots where the filling won’t heat through properly.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

Mannacote works great for meal prep because you can prepare it in advance.

1. Refrigerator Method: Assemble the complete dish up to 24 hours ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then foil. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, then bake as directed (add 5-10 extra minutes to cooking time).
2. Freezing Before Baking: Assemble the dish in a freezer-safe pan. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then two layers of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then follow standard baking instructions with an extra 10 minutes.
3. Freezing After Baking: Let the baked dish cool completely. Portion into airtight containers. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat individual portions in the microwave (2-3 minutes) or the full dish in a 350°F oven (30-40 minutes, covered).
4. Leftover Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Mannacote is filling on its own, but these sides round out the meal:

Best Pairings:

• Simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette (cuts through the richness)
• Garlic bread or crusty Italian bread (for sauce mopping)
• Roasted vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, or broccoli
• Caesar salad with anchovy dressing

Wine Recommendations:

Pair Manacote with light to medium-bodied red wines. Chianti works perfectly because its acidity balances the cheese and tomato. Pinot Noir or Barbera also complements without overpowering.

Portion Size:

Plan for 2 shells per person as a main course, or 1 shell as a side dish. A standard 9×13 pan holds 12-14 shells.

Garnish Ideas:

• Fresh basil leaves torn over the top
• Extra-grated Parmesan at the table
• Red pepper flakes for heat lovers
• Drizzle of olive oil for richness

FAQs

Can I use fresh pasta instead of dried shells?

Yes, but fresh pasta cooks faster (2-3 minutes) and tears more easily. Handle it gently when stuffing. Some cooks prefer using fresh lasagna sheets rolled around the filling instead of tubes.

What cheese combination works best?

The classic trio of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan gives you creamy texture, melt, and sharp flavor. Don’t skip the parmesan—it adds depth that plain ricotta lacks.

How do I prevent the pasta from cracking when stuffing?

Cook shells until slightly undercooked (6-7 minutes instead of the package’s 8-9 minutes). Lay them flat immediately after draining so they don’t curl. Wait 2-3 minutes before handling to let them cool slightly.

Can I make a vegetarian mannequin?

Absolutely. Add 1 cup of cooked, squeezed-dry spinach to the cheese filling. You can also include sautéed mushrooms, diced roasted red peppers, or fresh basil for extra flavor.

What if I don’t have enough sauce?

You need about 3½ cups minimum to keep the pasta moist. If your jar runs short, mix in ½ cup of water or vegetable broth with what you have. The pasta absorbs liquid as it bakes.

Should I cook the filling before baking?

No. The ricotta mixture goes in raw and cooks completely during the 25-30 minute baking time. If you’re adding meat or spinach, cook and drain those ingredients first, then mix them into the raw cheese filling.

Mannacote gives you a reliable weeknight dinner or impressive weekend meal with minimal skill required. The stuffing takes patience, but the payoff is a bubbling pan of cheese-filled pasta that feeds a crowd.

The recipe adapts easily to your preferences. Add vegetables for nutrition, meat for heartiness, or different cheeses for variety. Make it ahead when you have time, then bake it fresh when you need a quick dinner.

Start with this basic version until you get comfortable with the technique. Once you’ve made it twice, you’ll know exactly how much filling each shell needs and how your oven browns the cheese on top. After that, experiment with your own combinations.

The name might confuse some people, but the taste never disappoints.