Homemade Manicotti Recipe - Food Fanatic
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Homemade Manicotti Recipe

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    6 Servings

Ingredients

For the Crepes:
  • 6 extra large Eggs
  • 12 ounces Cold Water
  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
For the Filling:
  • 2 cups Ricotta Cheese
  • 8 ounces Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Freshly Grated Romano Cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • 5 ounces Chopped Frozen Spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
For Assembly:
  • 6 cups Marinara Sauce
  • 4 tablespoons Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus extra for serving

Directions

  1. For the crepe batter, add your eggs and water to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer just until combined.
  2. Add your flour and salt, and beat on low until the batter is smooth, with no lumps. Let the batter rest for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator. This will help provide a better texture for your crepes.
  3. While the batter is resting, make your filling. Add your ricotta to a medium bowl.
  4. To shred your mozzarella, you can use a food processor or use your blender. Add the mozzarella to your ricotta.
  5. Grate your Parmesan and Romano, if needed. (I grate chunks of cheese in my blender.) Add the grated Parmesan and Romano to your bowl, along with your black pepper.
  6. Thaw your frozen spinach in the microwave and heat it one minute at a time, until it’s thawed. Drain your spinach in a fine-mesh strainer.
  7. Add your thawed and drained spinach to your bowl of cheese filling and stir it until combined. Cover and refrigerate your filling until your crepes are ready to be filled.
  8. After your crepe batter has rested for at least 30 minutes, it’s time to make your crepes. Lightly grease a 7-inch pan by spraying some oil on a paper towel and wiping your pan with it. (If you have two pans of this size, you can use both.) Heat the pan on the stove over medium heat.
  9. Scoop out 1/4 cup of batter into a liquid measuring cup, and when your pan is hot, pour the ¼ cup of batter into the center of the pan. Gently swirl the pan, if needed, until the bottom is covered with the batter. Cook the crepe just until the top is set, which should take 1-2 minutes. Do not flip the crepe. Slide the crepe out of the pan and onto a cooling rack.
  10. Continue cooking the rest of your crepes. When you run out of space on your cooling racks, you can transfer the cooled crepes to a plate, stacking them with a sheet of wax paper between each one.
  11. When your crepes are cooked and cooled off, you can assemble your manicotti. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Add a layer of tomato sauce to the bottom of your baking pan. Use a 10x15 if you have one, or use two 9x13 pans.
  12. On a cutting board or clean work surface, place a crepe with the browned side facing up. (This is so that the yellow side will show when you roll it up.) Place 1/3 cup of ricotta filling in the center of your crepe, pressing it down gently until there is a 1-inch border of crepe around it. Roll the crepe tightly into a cylinder and place it seam-side down in your baking pan.
  13. Continue filling and rolling all your crepes, arranging them in a single layer in your baking pan(s). Ladle some sauce over your manicotti, until they are all covered. Sprinkle three tablespoons of Parmesan over the top.
  14. Cover your pan(s) with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Serve the manicotti with extra sauce and Parmesan.
  15. Store leftover manicotti in the refrigerator for up to five days. Store any leftover marinara separately for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Homemade manicotti photo