This Easy Eggless Cheese Manicotti recipe is a delicious dinner that your family will love! It’s comfort food at its finest. Step-by-step process photos and extra tips included.
Why do I Love This Recipe?
My whole family went crazy over these Easy Eggless Cheese Manicotti! After all, who does loves stuffed cheese pasta smothered in marinara sauce and more cheese on top?
I love how easy it is to make, mainly because you don’t need to cook the pasta tubes first thoroughly. Instead, just a quick dip in boiling water makes them easy to fill. Then, dinner prep is done in just a few minutes. Plus, it’s:
- Made with simple ingredients
- Perfect to Make-Ahead
- Picky-eater-approved.
- Filling and satisfying.
This vegetarian dish recipe is definitely a crowd-pleaser, and the step-by-step process photos below and video will guide you through the entire recipe. If you like this recipe you will probably love my Eggless Ricotta Stuffed Shells and my Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ingredients Notes
Ricotta: Whole milk ricotta cheese work best for this recipe since it adds extra richness to the final dish.
Marinara sauce: you can use homemade or store-bought.
Cannelloni or manicotti shells: you can find these tubes packaged in a box at most major grocery stores.
Step By Step Recipe Instructions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
1 – Prepare The Baking Dish
Brush the baking dish with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Pour half of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.
PRO TIP: put tubes in a large bowl with some hot water while you make the filling. They’re easy to stuff that way and will cook all the way thru in less time when you bake it.
2 – Make The Ricotta Filling
Place the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup pecorino or parmesan, flour, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix until well combined.
PRO TIP: Place the cheese mixture in a Ziploc bag and snip off the end.
3 – Fill The Pasta
Fill each tube with the ricotta mixture. Arrange shells in baking dishes. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top.
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4 – Bake
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30–35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or basil. Serve.
Substitutions & Additions
Meat: This recipe is vegetarian — there’s no meat in the filling or sauce — but you can easily add one pound of ground beef or Italian sausage. Cook the meat fully in a large skillet before adding it to your filling or sauce.
Spice: Feel free to add some red pepper flakes to give the dish a little heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Manicotti is simply a mixture of cheeses stuffed into pasta tubes and baked with marinara sauce.
My favorite egg-free pasta brands are 365 Whole Foods, Colavita and DeCecco. Walmart and Wegman’s brand generally does not contain eggs either; however, I highly recommend checking labels all the time because once in a while, they’re in a shared facility. For this recipe, I used Walmart’s manicotti.
Most fresh Parmesan cheeses contain lysozyme from egg whites, which accelerates ripening and prevents the growth of bacteria. I would recommend you substitute Parmesan cheese for Pecorino. Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese seems to be safe but as always, read the labels first.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Make-Ahead: To make in advance, simply assemble, cover with foil, and place in the refrigerator. The dish will keep in the fridge for about 2 days. When ready to bake, simply bake as instructed in the recipe.
Store: Store leftover shells in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Prepare the tubes according to the instructions. Place filled tubes in the pan but do not bake them. Wrap your pan in plastic wrap, removing as much air as possible between the shells and plastic. Cover the pan tightly in foil and freeze. Store frozen tubes for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to eat the manicotti, bake them at 350°F, covered with foil, for 45 – 60 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.
Reheating Leftovers: Loosely cover with foil and cook in the oven at 350°F until warmed throughout. The foil helps to keep the manicotti from drying out.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Easy Eggless Cheese Manicotti
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3- 4 cups (about 700 g–950 g) marinara sauce
- 3 cups (26 oz–750 g) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 10 oz (283 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 cups (228 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
- 3/4 cup (90 g) Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons (20 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 oz (14 tubes – about 250 g) cannelloni or manicotti shells
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
- Brush the baking dish with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Pour half of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. TIP: Put tubes in a large bowl with some hot water while you make the filling. They're easy to stuff that way and will cook all the way thru in less time when you bake it.
- Place the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup pecorino or parmesan, flour, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix until well combined. TIP: Place the cheese mixture in a Ziploc bag and snip off the end. That makes the filling process so much easier.
- Fill each tube with the ricotta mixture. Arrange shells in baking dishes. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30–35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or basil. Serve.
- Meat: This recipe is vegetarian — there’s no meat in the filling or sauce — but you can easily add one pound of ground beef or Italian sausage. Cook the meat fully in a large skillet before adding it to your filling or sauce.
- Spice: Feel free to add some red pepper flakes to give the dish a little heat.
- Put tubes in a large bowl with some hot water while you make the filling. They’re easy to stuff that way and will cook all the way thru in less time when you bake it.
- Place the cheese mixture in a Ziploc bag and snip off the end. That makes the filling process so much easier.
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