Beef and Cheese Manicotti

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Stuffed Pastas

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (443)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(443)

Cook Time:
40 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 40 min
Total:: 55 min

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Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 (8-ounce package) manicotti
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Beef and Cheese Manicotti
Vicki Petersburg, VA 11-16-2009
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Beef & Cheese Manicotti
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Wow, this was terrific. Both my husband & I enjoyed it. Since I made the full recipe we had a lot to munch on for leftovers.... And it only got better with time. You have to try it!!!!Read more
recipe Beef and Cheese Manicotti
jennifer carmichael, CA 11-16-2009
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Deliciouso!!!!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Soooo good!!! My fiance told me he loooves manicotti that his mom makes so I thought one night I would try to make manicotti... as a suprise for him. He loved it!! I'll be making it for the 3rd time tonight. I am not a cook, but it was pretty simple to make! Just don't overcook the pasta or it will be too hard to fill. I've added italian sausage as well for a little more kick. The recipe does make a ton of filling though. Read more
recipe Beef and Cheese Manicotti
amy billings, MT 11-13-2009
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Better than lasagna!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My husband said this was really good and he likes it a lot better than lasagna. I first tried a spoon, but ended up using my... fingers to stuff the manicotti. Had some filling left over and just spread it out over the top of the stuffed shells after they were in the pan. I also used Giada's Simple Tomato Sauce recipe for my marinara. This meal was really delicious, and easy to prepare. Read more
recipe Beef and Cheese Manicotti
Sherry Edmonton, AB 11-12-2009
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Excellent!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this dish for my mother in law many times and she loves it,which is a great compliment,because she is an... excellent cook! from the first time I made this recipe,I never used beef,always ground Italian sausage,it really makes it even more special,way to much stuffing left over so I suggest making more shells and freezing for another time.Read more
recipe Beef and Cheese Manicotti
Russell Norfolk, VA 11-11-2009
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raw garlic?
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I liked it. I would not put the garlic in the cheese mixture though, 350 degrees for 30 minutes is not enough to cook it... resulting in a bad after taste. Cook it with the ground beef instead. Next time, I will also use ricotta in the filling omiting the mousarella, reserving it for the topping.Read more
recipe Beef and Cheese Manicotti
zelda Georgetown, TX 10-18-2009
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My first time!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was the first time I made manicotti and it came out great! Easy and fun to make. I used an icing bag with no tip to... make it go a little faster. Some of my shells would split but you could not tell in the end after covering it with the sauce and cheese.. :-) I think other variations would be good too like adding spinach and maybe more meet or trying chicken. This will join my other family recipe's! Thanks Giada!Read more