Manicotti

This post is more than just a recipe, it’s a complete guide to making homemade manicotti. Trust me, this is not as difficult as you may think, and all of the ingredients are very familiar.

Let’s start with the shells. First, mix a batter of 4 eggs well beaten, 1 c. flour, 1/2 t salt, 1 1/3 c. milk, and 2 T melted butter.

We used an 8″ saute pan, rubbed with canola oil. This size pan requires slightly less than 1/4 c. batter for each shell. If you are using a smaller pan, you can adjust the amount of batter. Pour the batter into the pan, tilting to make the crepe as thin as possible, and cook until the top of the shell appears dry. Using a rubber scraper to loosen the edges, slide the shell onto waxed paper to cool. Note that you are only cooking the shell from one side.

While the shells are cooling, mix the filling ingredients in a bowl: 1 T fresh parsley, 1 lb. ricotta cheese, 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, 1 t salt, and 2 eggs slightly beaten. (Thanks to neighbor Marge for the fresh parsley from her garden!)

Now, it’s time to assemble them. Spread a scoop of filling onto each shell, and roll.

At this point, you can freeze the manicotti to cook later, or you can place them in a pan with sauce on the bottom and then spread more sauce top. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Here is the final product: