Try this Crockpot Stuffed Manicotti recipe
- Carbohydrate 4.26846666998675 g
- Cholesterol 43.9716666977516 mg
- Fat 12.003183341169 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 17.5027833449288 g
- Saturated Fat 7.56531167159363 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (156g)
- Sodium 417.731666876425 mg
- Sugar 4.26846666998675 g
- Trans Fat 0.537008333738684 g
- Calories 197 calories
Step-by-step
- Brown and drain the ground beef.
- Pour the pasta sauce into the ground beef and simmer on low with lid on while you prepare remaining ingredients.
- Shred the Parmesan and set aside.
- Scoop the Ricotta into a medium size bowl, and add 1 Cup Mozzarella and the shredded Parmesan.
- Add the garlic powder and salt
- Blend the cheeses and seasonings well.
- Scoop the cheese blend into the bag and set aside.
- Snip one corner from a large resealable plastic bag.
- Pour a thin layer of meat sauce into the bottom of the Crockpot.
- Carefully squeeze the cheese blend into each Manicotti shell until it is full.
- Place shells onto the meat sauce creating one layer.
- Add more meat sauce on top of the stuffed shells.
- Create another layer of stuffed shells.
- Top with remaining meat sauce.
- Cook on High for about 2 hours or until shells are tender.
- Add 1 cup of remaining Mozzarella Cheese to top for the last 20 minutes of cook time.
- Serve and enjoy!
Adding the final cup of mozzarella cheese precisely twenty minutes before the cooking cycle ends prevents the dairy solids from breaking down into an oily separation while ensuring complete melt coverage. Stuffed pasta tubes require careful moisture management during slow cooking because dry tubular pasta must absorb liquid from the surrounding sauce to soften fully without boiling. Manicotti evolved from traditional Italian cannelloni, shifting from delicate crêpes rolled around fillings to sturdy extruded wheat pasta tubes capable of withstanding extended thermal processing in American casserole formats.
- Brown the ground beef and drain excess fat completely to keep the sauce viscosity balanced.
- Snip a half-inch corner from a heavy-duty plastic bag to pipe fillings cleanly into rigid pasta cylinders.
- Layer sauce and stuffed tubes alternately inside a standard six-quart slow cooker insert.
- Hold the cooking vessel covered on high heat for two hours until pasta yields to gentle pressure.
Milk proteins in the ricotta coagulate when heated alongside savory parmesan umami compounds, creating a dense interior texture. Retaining adequate sauce volume around every shell prevents the outer edges from drying out during the prolonged thermal transfer.
