This light version of the standard manicotti combines the tastes of two calorie-laden, decadent dairy dishes: fettuccini Alfredo and stuffed shells. Here, the sauce is made without heavy cream and the filling uses ricotta cheese… Go ahead, help yourselves, guilt free!
To prepare sauce, in a medium saucepan, brown flour in oil until golden, stirring frequently (watch carefully — this burns easily). Add mushroom soup mix, stirring well to combine, then add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; lower heat and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
Place all filling ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together.
Spoon enough sauce into the bottom of two 9- x 13-inch (20- x 30-centimeter) baking pans to coat bottoms of pans.
Working with one piece of pasta at a time, fill manicotti with filling (they don’t need to be completely full) and place into baking pans until all filling is used. Pour sauce over manicotti, cover pans tightly and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 50 minutes to an hour, or until desired doneness is achieved.
Photography: Hudi Greenberger
Styling: Renee Muller
Shells vs Manicotti I made this without cooking the manicotti before and it came out delicious!! I would like to know if anyone knows if shells are the same kind of pasta? If I make this in shells can I also use it raw or do I have to cook the shells before?
cooked noodles? Do I need to cook the manicotti noodles before hand? Also, does this make two tins of the dish?
No need to cook the noodles. And yes, two pans.