I’m a big fan of manicotti, including the ones that use a crepe batter as the wrapper, like the ones I posted years ago here. But my favorite are the ones made of pasta, like the ones in the photo above.
Now, those of you who have eaten cannelloni may be wondering what’s the difference between manicotti and cannelloni, two very similar dishes. Well, you’d be hard pressed to find manicotti on a menu in Italy. It’s cannelloni you’ll see there, and they are fresh pasta tubes or sheets of pasta rolled into tubes (canna means reed in Italian) usually stuffed with either meat or cheese and topped with a béchamel sauce. Manicotti are frequently made with a crèpe dough and called crespelle in Italy. In the U.S., manicotti are typically made with ridged pasta tubes (manicotto means “muff” in Italian) that are sold dry in packages. They’re usually stuffed with ricotta and topped with tomato sauce. Whether you call them manicotti or cannelloni, the word police aren’t going to come after you, so long as the food tastes delicious — and this certainly does.
You can make your own pasta or go the easy route, as I did, and buy some packaged fresh lasagna sheets at the grocery store. For the stuffing, I would normally use a mixture of chopped spinach and ricotta. But it’s the season of wild mustard greens and I’ve been busy, as you can see from the sinkful I foraged last week. For more information on what to look for before the season vanishes and how to prepare them, click here. After blanching, most of them went into the freezer, but a bit of them were destined right away for these manicotti.
You can make your own pasta or go the easy route, as I did, and buy some packaged fresh lasagna sheets at the grocery store. For the stuffing, I would normally use a mixture of chopped spinach and ricotta. But it’s the season of wild mustard greens and I’ve been busy, as you can see from the sinkful I foraged last week. For more information on what to look for before the season vanishes and how to prepare them, click here. After blanching, most of them went into the freezer, but a bit of them were destined right away for these manicotti.
I cut the lasagna sheets in half and filled them with some of the ricotta and greens mixture. The dough is already really pliable so just a short soaking for a couple of minutes in hot water was all the softening it needed.
They’ll cook more once you cover them with sauce and bake in the oven.
Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese, or parmesan if you prefer. They’re so easy to make and such a hit with everyone, the only problem is making sure you have enough.
Quick and Easy Manicotti/Cannelloni
printable recipe here
makes about 12
1 cup chopped and cooked wild greens or spinach
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T. olive oil
a handful minced parsley (about 1/4 cup)
3 cups ricotta cheese (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella
1 package of fresh lasagna pasta (The brand I bought weighed 8.8 ounces)
about 1 – 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
Sautè the onions and garlic in the olive oil until wilted, and add the greens or spinach and the parsley. Let it cool, then put in a bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients, reserving about 1/4 cup of the mozzarella. Cut the lasagna sheets in half and fill with the ricotta mixture and roll up. Spread a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the casserole; place the manicotti in the casserole and spread more tomato sauce over the manicotti. Sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on top and bake for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes at 350 degrees until cooked and heated through.
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This Post Has 16 Comments
A fabulous dish! That is something I love to make and eat.
Cheers,
Rosa
Yum! I haven't made these in quite a while but now I've got the "woolee" as my Dad likes to say. And even if the word police won't I will come after anyone who calls these manicotti—they're CANNELLONI!
Ok, so they are mustard greens!
Looks delish!
OMG! Bart will just go wild, so to speak, for this. He loves "greens" of all stripe. I love that you foraged the greens. Beet tops, mustard greens, you name it. I must make this one. Thanks.
Sounds like a quick, tasty and easier way to bring some Italian to the table Linda.
sono buonissimi!! Un abbraccio, buon pomeriggio Daniela.
I love cannelloni *O*! Plus the ricotta & spinach filling is one of my favourite mix ^_^!
Never knew the difference between the two stuffed tubes but love them equally. Fun to use the foraged greens. (Would be fun to actually see green.) The best though is gazing at the dish knowing it is all possible.
Dear Linda, Beautiful and satisfying. Blessings dear. Catherine xo
Using the packaged fresh lasagna sheets makes these an easy dinner treat to make, Linda! Adding mustard greens to the stuffing sounds extra enticing.
Love the filling with wild greens.
Never realized those two words meant the same dish??
LL
These are beautiful, Linda! In true Italian immigrant fashion, my parents decided to convert the remainder of their already small backyard into a garden (it's been a gradual chipping-away since I was a kid) and have broccoli rabe growing everywhere. It will make a perfect filling for your cannelloni!
There are certain dishes that instantaneously create a Pavlov's response and pasta is one of those for me! Thanks for the helping keep the word police at bay and for the wonderful recipe!
So delicious! Next time I will use fresh lasagna sheets too. Great idea!
That sink full of greens, I love that shot! I bet your cannelloni was the best! I once tried eggroll wrapers for a quick midweek cannelloni, not bad in a pinch, a little too thin though.
Looks delicious and the greens are a great spin.
It's funny how people define manicotti and cannelloni. I was taught manicotti were crepes – end of discussion. They were cannelloni if pasta tubes were involved.