You will love how easy this manicotti recipe is! This no-boil version 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!
Here’s a broccoli lover’s dream: baked manicotti filled with a savory mixture of broccoli, garlic, basil, ricotta, and mozzarella, bathed in a quick homemade “blender” marinara sauce and topped with Buratta Cheese. The manicotti cooks right in the sauce, saving you the extra step of boiling the pasta, making it easy to fill!
This 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.
Watch how to Make Manicotti!
How to make Baked Manicotti
The recipe starts with 6 cups of broccoli florets. Steam the broccoli until just barely tender, careful to not overcook.
At the same time saute onions and garlic- which will be used for both the filling and sauce.
Place half the onions in the blender with the tomato sauce ingredients.
Blend until smooth and set this aside until assembly time- feel free to make this ahead!
Then chop up the cooked broccoli and mix the filling in a bowl- adding egg, ricotta cheese, basil, sauteed onions and garlic, and spices.
This broccoli cheese mixture is super delicious and you can do this ahead if you like!
Time to assemble the manicotti. The best thing about the recipe is you’ll fill the manicotti shells uncooked- they will cook in the tomato sauce!
Place half the quick marinara sauce on the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Fill each manicotti shell using a piping bag or a large ziplock bag (with the corner cut off). Assemble over 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 broccoli filling, so I dotted it over the top.
Now, this is optional- but totally delicious…. add burrata cheese- or sub-fresh mozzarella cheese.
Slice 1-2 balls of creamy burrata cheese and place it over top.
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.
Serve with a leafy green salad and some crusty bread!
Can I make this with lasagna noodles?
Yes. Grease a 9×13 baking dish, and layer, starting with 1/3 of the sauce, add uncooked noodles, 1/2 the filling, 1/3 rd of the sauce, then noodles, the other half of the filling, more noodles, then last 1/3 rd of sauce. Top with Burrata. Press down a little, top with parchment and foil. Bake at 400F, 40-50 minutes (until easily pierced with a fork) uncover, bake until golden, 10-15 minutes.
Can Manicotti be made vegan?
I have not tested this… but what I would suggest is: make the vegan Tofu Ricotta, skip the egg, and add vegan cheese. Make sure the filling is tasty, adjusting the salt if necessary.
Can Manicotti be made ahead?
Yes, feel free to make any of the components ahead, or assemble the whole thing ahead, or even bake ahead and reheat ( bring to room temp first).
Can I use store-bought Marinara?
Yes, but water it down with 1/2 cup water. ( You’ll need 3 1/2 cups total).
Can I boil the pasta ahead instead of baking it dry?
Yes. 😉
Healthy delicious Broccoli Stuffed Manicotti. A cozy homemade vegetarian meal that can be made ahead! Perfect for weeknight dinners or the holiday table. #manicotti #vegetariandinner #broccoli #broccolirecipes
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- Polenta Lasagna with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce
Enjoy the Broccoli Manicotti and have a great weekend.
xoxo
Print
Manicotti Recipe
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: vegetarian, main, pasta,
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- 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
- 12 ounces broccoli florets (about 6 cups raw)
- -------
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4-6 garlic cloves, rough 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 tablespoon olive oil
- -------
- 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)
- ---
- 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!) cool and chop.
- Saute: 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 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.
- Make the filling: Chop up the steamed broccoli and add it to the bowl with the onions. 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 with the 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 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.