You will love how healthy and easy this baked manicotti recipe is! This no-boil version uses a creamy broccoli filling, quick tomato sauce, and burrata cheese baked in the oven until golden and bubbling. A delicious, comforting vegetarian dinner!
Here’s a pasta lover’s dream: baked manicotti filled with a savory mixture of broccoli, ricotta, and mozzarella, bathed in a quick marinara sauce, and topped with Burrata Cheese. This cozy baked pasta dish is full of flavor yet packed with nutrients from the broccoli. It’s a delicious vegetarian dinner full of comfort and flavor.
Absolutely stunning! I love how you sneak veggies into everything 🙂 truly was so much fun to make and an absolute hit at my dinner table!
Why you’ll love this Manicotti recipe!
The no-boil stuffed manicotti cooks right in the sauce, saving you the extra step of boiling the pasta, making it easy to fill.
This baked manicotti recipe is surprisingly light, and the broccoli plays the starring role here. Perfect for Sunday meal prep for the busy work week, or delicious enough for your special holiday dinner.
Manicotti Recipe Ingredients
- Manicotti shells: You’ll need uncooked manicotti shells - they’re easiest for filling and cook right in the sauce.
- Broccoli: Broccoli adds beautiful green color, abundant nutrients, and a savory, comforting taste!
- Onion and garlic cloves: Sautéed and added to both the filling and the sauce for pungent, aromatic flavor.
- Diced tomatoes: Use canned diced tomatoes with their juices, or crushed or whole tomatoes.
- Maple syrup: Or substitute honey or sugar.
- Dried Italian seasoning: Dried thyme or oregano works well, too.
- Whole milk ricotta: Or, you can make this vegan with our tofu ricotta!
- Egg: Optional, but helps bind the filling and adds richness.
- Fresh basil: Adds a fresh, herby flavor to the filling - save extra for garnish!
- Lemon zest: Brightens the filling with citrusy flavor.
- Nutmeg: Adds a touch of warm and subtle sweetness to the filling.
- Romano and mozzarella cheese: You can substitute Parmesan cheese for the Romano, or for a vegan version, use vegan Parmesan and vegan mozzarella!
- Burrata: I like to add two burrata balls for extra depth and richness, but this is optional!
Variations
- Use lasagna noodles. Grease a 9×13 baking dish, and layer, starting with 1/3 of the sauce. Add uncooked noodles, 1/2 of the filling, 1/3 of the sauce, then noodles, the other half of the filling, more noodles, then the last 1/3 of the sauce. Top with Burrata. Press down a little, top with parchment and foil. Bake at 400F for 40-50 minutes (until easily pierced with a fork), then uncover, and bake until golden, about 10-15 minutes.
- Make it vegan! Make our vegan Tofu Ricotta, skip the egg, and add vegan cheese. Make sure the filling is tasty, adjusting the salt if necessary.
- Use store-bought marinara. If you wish to use store-bought marinara, water it down with 1/2 cup of water. You’ll need 3 1/2 cups total.
How to Make Baked Manicotti
1. Steam the broccoli. Add 6 cups of broccoli to a steamer basket and steam until just barely tender. Be careful not to overcook, as you want to preserve the bright green color.
2. Sauté the onions and garlic. While the broccoli steams, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and tender.
3. Blend the sauce. Place half of the onion mixture into a blender with the rest of the tomato sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Make the filling. Chop up the cooked broccoli and mix the filling in a large bowl, adding egg, creamy ricotta, basil, sautéed onions and garlic, and spices.
5. Assemble the manicotti. Pour half of the quick marinara sauce on the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Fill each uncooked manicotti shell using a piping bag, large ziplock bag (with the corner cut off) or a narrow spoon. Arrange on top of the sauce in a single layer.
Dot some of the extra cheese filling on each end of the manicotti pasta (or over the top of the sauce). Cover with the remaining sauce.
Here, I had a little extra of the broccoli cheese mixture, so I dotted it over the top. Now, this is optional, but totally delicious…add burrata cheese (or fresh mozzarella cheese). Slice 1-2 balls of creamy burrata cheese and place it over top.
6. Bake. Bake the manicotti in a 400F oven for 40 minutes, covered tightly with foil. You need a tight seal to cook the pasta. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil ribbons right before serving.
Chef’s Tips
- Save time by prepping some of the components ahead of time! You can blend the tomato sauce and mix the filling 1-2 days before assembling.
- Steam the broccoli until just barely tender. This preserves the vibrant green color!
- While you can boil the manicotti shells before baking, it is much easier to stuff the pasta before it has cooked. Plus, it saves time - the pasta cooks directly in the sauce! If you boil the manicotti, be sure to drain them well and rinse under cold water for easier handling.
- Use a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut off to easily fill each manicotti shell.
- Don’t waste any of the broccoli ricotta filling. If you have extra, add dollops over the top of the sauce.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil. Create a tight seal with foil - this is essential for cooking the pasta shells thoroughly!
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a leafy green salad and some crusty bread! Here are some of our favorite pairings:
Meal Prep, Storage & Reheating
- Meal prep: Make the blended marinara sauce and the ricotta filling ahead of time, or assemble the whole thing and store it before baking it. You can also bake it ahead of time, bring it to room temperature, and reheat it when ready to serve.
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Top the manicotti with a layer of parchment or plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and cover tightly to prevent freezer burn. Store for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: If frozen, thaw overnight and bring to room temperature before reheating. Reheat in a 350F oven for 20-30 minutes.
Healthy, delicious Broccoli Stuffed Manicotti. A cozy, homemade vegetarian meal that can be made ahead! Perfect for weeknight dinners or the holiday table.
Enjoy the Broccoli Manicotti and have a great weekend.
xoxo
More Italian Recipes You Might Enjoy
Watch how to Make Manicotti!
After you try this Manicotti recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Baked Manicotti Recipe
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main, Pasta, vegetarian
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American, Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
You will love how easy this manicotti recipe is! This no-boil recipe uses a creamy, zesty broccoli filling, a quick tomato sauce, and burrata cheese baked in the oven until golden and bubbling. A delicious, comforting vegetarian dinner!
Ingredients
Quick Tomato Sauce (or sub jarred marinara sauce, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4–6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices ( or crushed or whole)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup, honey or sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning ( or thyme or oregano)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Filling
- 12 ounces broccoli florets (about 5-6 cups raw)
- 15-ounces whole milk ricotta (or make the vegan tofu ricotta), 2 cups
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (plus more for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8– 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup shredded romano or parmesan (or vegan parm)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (or vegan mozzarella)
Manicotti
- 12 uncooked manicotti shells (7 ounces)
- 2 burrata balls- optional, but delicious.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Steam the broccoli until just barely tender, (not too soft!) Let cool.
- Tomato Sauce: At the same time, in a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute onion 3-4 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, lower the heat to medium, and saute until golden and tender, 4-5 minutes.
- Divide. Place half of the sauteed onions/garlic mixture in a blender (for the sauce) and the other half in a medium bowl (for the filling).
- Blend the tomato sauce: Add the canned tomatoes (and their juices) to the blender, (with 1/2 of the sauteed onions),water, salt, maple, Italian seasoning, and olive oil. Blend until smooth, set aside.
- Combine the filling: Chop up the steamed broccoli and add it to the bowl with the sauteed onions and garlic. Add the ricotta, egg, basil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, nutmeg and stir with a fork. Add the cheeses. If going the vegan route, taste for salt and pepper, adding more if you like. Place the broccoli filling in a large piping bag ( or large zip lock bag- cutting off the corner to fit inside the manicotti).
- Assemble: Coat the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with olive oil. Pour half the tomato sauce to cover the bottom (about 1 3/4 cups). Using the piping bag, generously fill 12 uncooked, dry, manicotti shells (getting filling all the way to the middle) and nestle in the sauce. Dot the edges of the manicotti with the extra filling. Cover with the remaining sauce. It will seem a little runny but the uncooked manicotti will soak up much of the moisture here. Dot with any remaining filling if you like. Top with optional Burrata Cheese. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake: Bake 50 minutes at 400 F. Uncover, test that manicotti is tender (check with a sharp knife) then bake 10 more minutes, or until beautifully golden.
- Garnish with basil ribbons.
Notes
VEGAN: I have not made this vegan, but I suspect you could. Make the tofu ricotta, skip the egg and use vegan cheese. Taste the filling and make sure it is flavorful, adding more salt if needed.
You can also use store-bought marinara but add 1/2 cup water. It is necessary to thin it out just a bit with this uncooked pasta. You will need 3 1/2 cups total, including water.
Lastly, you can cook the manicotti first if you prefer, then fill, up to you.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Manicotti with Burrata Cheese
- Calories: 539
- Sugar: 8.9 g
- Sodium: 671.8 mg
- Fat: 28.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 13.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 44.6 g
- Fiber: 4.4 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 101.3 mg
This looks absolutely amazing. I will definitely be trying this.
Let us know what you think Meg!
Delicious! I love the freshness of the broccoli filling with the cheese. So fresh and healthy. Your recipes are always the best and, I’ve tried many of them. Never disappointed. Thank you!!
Wonderful to hear Debbie!
I made this for my family for our Christmas meal, and it did not disappoint! I also added vegetarian sausage links this time as well. Thank you for never steering me wrong with you recipes!
Nice to hear Rachel!
This is so, so yummy and well worth the time and effort to make. I struggled a bit with filling the manicotti shells, but with a bit of patience and some help from my husband, it all worked out perfectly. And it was so worth the effort. This is a bright, delicious alternative to traditional manicotti. I have learned so much from Sylvia and Tonia. Thank you both!
Nice to hear this Carole! Glad you enjoyed and really appreciate your review.