When I invite people to dinner, many have started requesting this pasta bake ahead of time because it's that good. Plus, the manicotti is stuffed before it's cooked, making it even more convenient. &mdash;Christy Freeman, Central Point, Oregon

Make-Ahead Spinach Manicotti

carton (15 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese

mozzarella cheese, divided

Parmesan cheese, divided

egg,

parsley

onion powder

pepper

garlic powder

spaghetti sauce

water

(8 ounces) manicotti shells

I wanted a meatless meal and love Italian. This recipe was perfect. I always add extra spices to my jarred spaghetti sauce such as garlic, basil and crushed red pepper flakes. I don't like watering down prepared sauces because I like them thicker and more "clingy". I have had no problem with the pasta not softening up enough by not using the water. I don't care for parmesan so I omitted it. I also added a cup 1 1/2 cups of Provolone to the cheese topping. I dome my dish with foil and slit a few holes in it for steam to escape. The last 15 minutes of baking time remove foil and top with the cheeses. I get no complaints for serving a meatless meal with this great recipe.

So good! I add some spicy Italian sausage and only use 2 jars of spaghetti sauce and it's perfect. My young kids love it too!

Very good!! I made a few adjustments to the recipe and it turned out perfect. Definitely a keeper! - Added one pound of Italian sausage.  - Used one 8 oz. package of fresh spinach. I sliced into smaller pieces and added it to the skillet as the sausage finished browning. After they were fully cooled I included in the filling.  - Used 2 jars of spaghetti sauce - basil and garlic flavored - Added 4 additional Manicotti shells since the sausage increased the amount of filling - Used a plastic bag to pipe filling into the shells - works great!! - Increased to 2 C. Mozzarella cheese and used 1 C. on the top.

We've made this dozens of times! It's so easy to stuff the shells before cooking -- we put the filling in a gallon zip-lock bag and cut a corner like a pastry bag -- and really makes dinner night fast and easy when the work was done a day before.  I like to substitute 1c of red wine for water in the sauce and place whole garlic cloves on top to roast.  Crusty French Bread is a fantastic accompaniment and one of the easiest yeast breads you will ever make.  Guests arrive to the aroma of fresh baking bread and Italian spice, there are rarely leftovers.

Love it! I pretty much follow the recipe,with a bit less sauce. One tip for filling manicotti shells. Fill a sturdy plastic storage type bag or freezer bag with cheese filling and cut a hole in one corner about dime size. Twist the open section to close. Easy peasy!

This was very yummy and even meat eater husband liked too. I did change a couple of things. 3 jars of spaghetti sauce as alot and I didn't have that much. I used 1 jar and 2 regular cans of tomato sauce with added Italian spices and left out the water. Worked great.

This dish was a hit with my family.  Easy to prepare and a nice option for a meatless meal.  I used 1 1/2 jars of sauce with some water and really could have done with some more so next time I'll use at least 2. I added mushrooms to the sauce but you could add anything else to increase the veggie count.  Also, I baked it right after I'd assembled it, without waiting overnight, and it was perfect.

This tasted great. Only problem was apparently too much sauce. The manicotti feel apart completely. All was completely swimming in sauce. Suggestions as to what I did wrong? I think to leave out the water would help, and maybe one of the sauce? ??? Not experienced with manicotti. We liked it regardless!

We loved this manicotti. So easy to prepare too.

I was disappointed because I found the manicotti to be very bland.

Not very flavorful. I was hoping for a better flavor with the cheese, but this didn't have it, which was surprising.

This was delicious. I used just 2 jars of sauce and omitted the water and it was still a little more sauce than needed. I might reduce to just a jar and a half next time. I used one reviewer’s suggestion and stuffed the shells using a butter knife-very easy. I will definitely put this into regular rotation.

I liked this recipe enough, but 2 jars of sauce was waaaay too much..it overwhelmed the rest of the dish. I will try to make this again, but with half of the sauce recommended.

Love the recipe. Very easy to prepare, and freezes well.

Very simple to make. Love that you don't have to cook the noodles before you stuff them. Next time, I think I'll add some italian sausage into the sauce before I pour it over top the noodles.

Been making this for years.  I love that you make it in advance. I usually make 3 or 4 trays and yes, I do FREEZE them. I let them sit overnight in the fridge as in the directions, and whatever I don't put in the oven, goes right in to the freezer. I don't add the cheese on top of those.  When taking out of the freezer, I counter-top thaw them, then sprinkle the cheese and bake.

As suggested, I used 700ml of sauce with the water added meat and mushrooms.  Cooked covered for 50 minutes. Took foil off and brown lightly. Absolutely easy peasy and delicious!!! Will keep this recipe.

My family love this manicotti.  I have made with and without meat.  So easy and great to have done ahead.

oops...didn't know I had to click the stars...this recipe is the best!!

This was so easy to make.  I had read the previous reviews and only used 2 jars of spaghetti sauce and It came out perfect.

I was getting the recipe ready to give to a gal that attends my church and realized just how long I have been making this. This is a good, flavorful and tasty recipe, and because it's meatless it can save a bit on your food bill. I do cut back on the sauce by 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount. This is one recipe you never want to lose.

make-ahead spinach manicotti

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total: 60 minutes

Servings: 7

Cost: $4.99 /serving

Author : Taste of Home

Ingredients

Instructions

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