Homemade Manicotti

I have been making homemade manicotti for about 10 years. My cousin who came to America from Sicily when she was 16 shared her recipe with me, and I have not looked back! If you make them, trust me, you will never buy prepackaged manicotti shells again.

I made manicotti today because the dish has become part of our Christmas dinner tradition. Mainly because my son does not eat ham, and although he will eat turkey I traditional do not make a turkey for Christmas because we just had turkey for Thanksgiving. Well, this year my son has to work on Christmas Day so I invited him and his wife over for a manicotti dinner tonight. As I was making the shells I thought it would be something good to share with anyone reading my blog whom might be interested in the process.

If you have ever made crepes you can easily make manicotti. If you've never made crepes and you learn how to make manicotti making crepes will be a cinch.


Mix together a batter of 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 5 eggs and 1/2 tsp. salt. The original recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt, but the first time I made this recipe my family and I agreed the shells were too salty, so I reduced the salt to 1/2 tsp.
Mix the batter until smooth, and let it set for at least 30 minutes.

Swirl 1 1/2 tbl. of batter unto a hot, well-greased 6 inch crepe skillet. Cook until edges appear cooked and the batter solidifies; much like you would cook a pancake, then flip.

Cook the second side for less then a minute. The shells/crepes should never brown.

This recipe will yield 22 shells (crepes) and will take you about 30 minutes to cook them, since you have to cook them one at a time. I usually make these in the morning and refrigerate them (covered) for use later in the day. Once the shells/crepes are cooked you'll need to prepare the filling. My manicotti filling is made with ricotta cheese. For 22 manicotti I mix together 2 pounds of ricotta, 2 eggs, salt, pepper, dried basil, garlic powder and shredded mozzarella. I don't measure the ingredients, so you'll have to judge amounts based on taste.

Place about a 1 1/2 tablespoons of cheese filling in the center of each shell/crepe and roll. (The amount of filling is an estimation; too little and you'll taste only the shell/crepe, too much and the shell/crepe will tear, or it will just ooze out of the shell/crepe and make a mess.)
Placed the filled manincotti onto a jelly roll pan that has been coated with a generous layer of sauce. Homemade sauce of course! Why ruin your wonderful manicotti by using a jarred sauce?!

Once all the manicotti have been filled and placed onto the pan ladle sauce over all to cover. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven covered for about 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes so the cheese melts.

At our house 22 manicotti serves five with NO leftovers. I wonder how many you'll say you ate. They melt in your mouth so don't be surprise if you find yourself eating four or five ..........Enjoy!