Holiday Manicotti
A few days before Christmas last year I got to the stage where I couldn’t look at another baking tray or sink full of dishes without getting irritated. I’d been cooking for what felt like a week straight. The cookies were on the counter, somebody kept opening the fridge every ten minutes asking what there was to eat and I needed one dinner that wasn’t a full production.
There was a box of manicotti shells in the pantry and I almost passed them by. Stuffing pasta seemed like too much work at the time. But I also had ricotta and mozzarella and a jar of sauce sitting there already so I figured I’d at least try it.
To be honest, I expected average results. Instead, a few hours later, the whole kitchen was filled with the rich smell of tomato and cheese from the slow cooker that makes people hungry right away. The pasta softened nicely, the cheese melted into each layer and dinner suddenly felt warm and cozy instead of stressful.
Everyone was already taking seconds before I even got my own plate down. Now I make this recipe anytime life feels chaotic or busy because it gives me that “real dinner” feeling without needing a ton of work. I can toss everything together in the morning, leave for a few hours and come home to something warm and comforting that doesn’t taste like it came from a can.
This recipe also makes really good leftovers, which matters because holiday weeks somehow create both too much food and nothing to eat at the same time.
Ingredients
- 1 box mannicotti shells
- 2 cups of ricotta cheese
- 3 c shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 jar (24 oz. size) pasta sauce
Directions
Step 1 Prepare the filling.
- Add ricotta cheese and 2 cups mozzarella to a bowl.
- Stir together until combined.
- I can’t help myself but I usually add black pepper here as well.
Step 2: Stuff the manicotti
- Stuff the cheese mixture into the uncooked manicotti shells.
- When I am patient I use a spoon. Most of the time I spoon the filling into a ziplock bag, cut off the corner and squeeze the filling into the shells. Way less messy , and faster .
Step 3: Stack the layers
- Spread some pasta sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Fill the manicotti and place in pan.
- Pour over the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with the last cup of mozzarella cheese.
Step 4: Cooking
- Cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours
- The pasta should be tender and the cheese melted into the sauce at the edges.
- At about hour three, your kitchen will smell like an Italian restaurant in the best way.
Kitchen Notes Little
- Don’t overfill the shells or you’ll be cleaning ricotta off your counter.
- This should sit next to the garlic bread I don’t set the rules.
- The parmesan on top is really good even though it technically breaks the 4 ingredient title.
- And the leftovers reheat beautifully the next day.
Closing Thoughts
This is comfort food without the stress and honestly makes it one of my favorite kinds of meals. Warm cheese, soft pasta, rich sauce. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just the kind of dinner people are actually happy to eat.
