Homemade Manicotti [with GF Option]

This homemade manicotti is a cheesy, hearty and deliciously satisfying meatless Italian meal the whole family will love.

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My dad has been making homemade manicotti since I can remember, and it was always one of my favorites.

I looked forward to having it for every holiday...Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving...

OK, maybe not Thanksgiving.

But it felt like we were the only ones having Italian food during the holidays while all of my friends were eating ham.

Trust me, I wasn't complaining. I'll take some pasta oozing with three kinds of cheese over ham any day.

Growing up, I definitely ate my fair share of Italian food.

My dad is 50% Italian and taught me all of his family recipes...well, almost all of them. He can't seem to find his grandmother's recipe for knot cookies.

I remember visiting my her as a child at her row house in Newark, New Jersey.  I have no idea why, but I called her "Big Grandma."

She lived in a very Italian neighborhood.

In fact, instead of an ice cream truck, an Italian ice truck visited her street in the summer months.

That truck had the best chocolate Italian ice! 

Anyway, Big Grandma grew lots of delicious herbs in her driveway garden, cooked monstrous pots of homemade sauce and baked the most delicious Italian knot cookies one has ever tasted.

I hope one day my dad finds the recipe!

To be completely honest, I never thought I'd end up making this by myself.

Since it was my dad's signature dish, I kind of enjoyed having him make it for me.

The whole process just seemed so tedious. I didn't realize it was actually pretty easy until I finally broke down and actually made it.

How to make homemade manicotti - step by step

Make the filling

First, prepare this ricotta cheese mixture consisting of ricotta, mozzarella, grated cheese, eggs, parsley and black pepper for the filling.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Make the crepes (crespelle) aka "the shells" for the manicotti

Preheat your oven to 350°F and lay out two sheets of parchment or wax paper on the counter.

Now, prepare the crepe (crespelle) batter.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk together with handheld electric mixer. 

Add flour and beat with handheld mixer until there are no lumps.

Lightly grease an 8-inch nonstick pan by spraying some oil on a paper towel and wiping your pan with it. 

Heat pan over medium heat. 

When the pan is hot, add approximately ¼ cup batter to the center of the pan and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan.

Cook until the sides are set and start to separate from pan.

The middle should be almost set but not quite (approximately 15-20 seconds).

Carefully lift edge with spatula and quickly flip crepe over.

Cook for 15-20 seconds more (crepe should be a light golden brown).

Use the spatula to remove the crepe from skillet and place onto the parchment or wax paper.

Repeat with the remaining batter, continuing to grease pan as needed until you’ve used up your batter. 

Assemble the manicotti

Once all the crepes are done, lightly line the bottoms of two 13” x 9” baking dishes with tomato sauce and set aside. 

Add approximately ⅓ cup of the ricotta cheese filling toward the bottom of one of the crepe shells.

Press down slightly but don’t let cheese go past the edges.

Roll up tightly and place seam side down into baking dish.

Top and bake

Once all the manicotti are in the baking dishes, top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. 

Uncover and bake for 15-20 more minutes.

How to make a gluten-free version

After Greg adopted a gluten-free diet, I found myself in a pickle.

How was I going to make gluten-free crepes for the manicotti and stay true to my dad's original recipe?

Enter chickpea flour.

Once I discovered this gem of an ingredient, my whole world changed.

Seriously, for once I'm actually not being sarcastic. 😉

After trying out chickpea flour in other recipes, I knew this was the right flour for the job.

It's also a good source of fiber and protein as well as other nutrients, which to me, makes it even more awesome.

So, I invited my dad over on Father's Day to test it out! The result?

WE HAD A WINNER!

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There were just a few adjustments to be made to the measurements and bam! It was perfect! Even the kids were gaga over it!

In fact, my eldest asked me to teach her how to make it. So, we made it together for this blog post.

Now, we have three generations of manicotti-makers in the family!

Would you like to join us as an honorary member of our manicotti-making family? We'd love to have you. 🙂

Frequently asked questions

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