Did you know that you can make the Homemade manicotti? Not just the cheesy filling that goes inside of the pasta tubes. You can actually make the most tender, delicate and delicious crepes that wrap around the cheese mixture!
Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We will only recommend products we use, love or think are informative and helpful.
The first time I had manicotti made from homemade crepes was at a friends home. My husbands lifelong friend from their collage days is very Italian. He is a great cook, wine maker, knows the lyrics from just about every song from the 70’s and 80’s and is known to break into a fitting song during our fun conversations!
How surprised I was to learn that it is easy to make his manicotti recipe using homemade crepes. It is a classic, filled with ricotta and asiago (or Romano cheese), your favorite tomato sauce and baked until warm and bubbly.
Making the crepes for manicotti
Here are the ingredients for making the crepes.
Place 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl; add 3 extra-large eggs.
Pour in 1 cup whole milk.
Whisk the ingredients until smooth.
Heat a lightly greased 8-in. skillet.
Pour about 2 tablespoons batter into center of the skillet.
Tilt the pan to spread batter into a 5-in. circle. I use two different pans to see if one was better than the other. There really was no difference and the crepes released easily from both.
Cook over medium heat until set; flip and cook a few seconds more but do not brown.
Repeat with remaining batter, making 18 crepes.
Making the cheese filling for manicotti crepes
Chop up some fresh parsley. About a tablespoon plus a little more for garnishing.
Grate the Asiago cheese to measure 1/3 cup.
In a bowl, add 1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese, the 1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese, 1 large egg, and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
Stir until combined and smooth.
Pour half of the tomato sauce into the baking dish.
Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the cheese filling down the center of each crepe and roll up.
Place the crepes, seam side down, over the sauce. Then spoon the remaining sauce over top.
Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through.
Sprinkle with additional cheese and parsley and serve.
Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
Manicotti
INGREDIENTS
For the crepe noodles:
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 1-1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 jar (26 ounces) meatless pasta sauce
- Additional grated Asiago cheese, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Place flour in a bowl; whisk in milk, eggs and salt until smooth.
Heat a lightly greased 8-in. skillet.
Pour about 2 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet.
Tilt the pan to spread batter into a 5-in. circle.
Cook over medium heat until set; flip and cook for a few additional seconds but do not brown.
Repeat with remaining batter, making 18 crepes.
Filling
For the filling, combine the cheeses, egg and parsley.
Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the cheese filling down the center of each crepe and roll up.
Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into an ungreased 13×9-in. baking dish.
Place the crepes, seam side down, over sauce; pour remaining sauce over top.
Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through.
Sprinkle with additional cheese and parsley.
Nutrition Facts 3 manicotti: 480 calories
You might also like…
Slow Cooker Tomato Pasta Sauce
Add a side salad to baked manicotti
Wolfgang Puck Spago House Salad Dressing 
Dessert suggestions for homemade manicotti crepes…
Each issue of our Newsletter is timely and helpful and jam-packed with food, crafts, occasional DIY, gardening and faith resources. Relevant and seasonal posts to inspire and guide you with current trends. Available only to those who request it, so please accept our invitation to stay connected and join the Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart community. Just click the subscribe button below.
Leave a Reply