Homemade Manicotti
I found this recipe in a magazine and made it my own. As a kid, crepes (palachinche) in my house were a dessert filled with jelly, rolled like a cigar, and eaten before my mother could put them on the table. So I thought it was cool that they were incorporated into this dish. I have to say, I will never use store-bought manicotti for this dish!
I found this recipe in a magazine and made it my own. As a kid, crepes (palachinche) in my house were a dessert filled with jelly, rolled like a cigar, and eaten before my mother could put them on the table. So I thought it was cool that they were incorporated into this dish. I have to say, I will never use store-bought manicotti for this dish!
- Carbohydrate 98.9477016817602 g
- Cholesterol 939.137500180797 mg
- Fat 58.3966024462811 g
- Fiber 20.0090542599839 g
- Protein 94.6263376342168 g
- Saturated Fat 29.5956227619024 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1796g)
- Sodium 8581.56192448592 mg
- Sugar 78.9386474217763 g
- Trans Fat 5.832374404895 g
- Calories 1250 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup romano, parsley and milk.
- In another bowl, whisk eggs with 1 cup of water. Whisk in flour.
- Heat a greased 8" non-stick skillet over medium heat. Ladle (small one) batter into skillet, swirling to cover surface of pan. Cook for 1 minute on each side. Repeat with remaining batter. (spraying cooking spray with each new crepe). Stack crepes on plate. (You should wind up with 13 crepes).
- Spread half of the meat sauce into a 9x13 baking dish.
- Spoon cheese mixture onto center of crepe and roll closed. Arrange in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and cheeses. Bake for 25 minutes.
The ingredient list fails to mention that substituting thin egg crepes for rigid dried pasta tubes fundamentally alters how this baked dish behaves in the oven, replacing a chewy bite with a melt-on-the-tongue tenderness that requires careful moisture management to avoid sogginess.
- Pair this rich, cheese-heavy main course with an acidic, bitter green salad dressed simply in fresh lemon juice and extra virgin oil to cut through the heavy fats of the ricotta, mozzarella, and romano cheeses.
- Ensure the non-stick skillet is properly heated over medium heat before pouring the batter, and swirl the pan immediately so the resulting crepes reach a thickness of roughly 1/16 of an inch rather than turning out rubbery and thick.
- Bake the assembled dish uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes until the tomato sauce bubbles vigorously around the edges and the shredded mozzarella on top melts into a lightly browned, blistered crust.
- Let the baked pan rest for at least 10 minutes before portioning with a wide spatula so the dairy proteins and starches can set and the individual rolls retain their shape on the plate.
Complement the savory depth of the cheese filling by serving crusty Italian bread on the side to mop up excess sauce. Proper resting time prevents the filling from weeping across the plate.
