Cheese Manicotti With Ground Beef Recipe | Easy Baked Manicotti

Looking for a comforting, flavorful dinner idea that’s sure to impress? This Baked Cheese Manicotti with Ground Beef Recipe is a hearty Italian classic that combines creamy ricotta-stuffed pasta, rich marinara sauce, and savory ground beef for a meal everyone will love. Topped with melted mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan, this baked dish is perfect for family dinners, potlucks, or any occasion that calls for a little extra indulgence.

Why You’ll Love This Perfect Pasta Dish

• Minimal ingredients needed. This easy manicotti recipe is the perfect example of a dish that can pack a punch of flavor with minimal ingredients.
• Family-friendly flavors. Creamy cheese, and robust tomato sauce work together to transform a uniquely shaped pasta into a bite that the whole family will enjoy.
• Extremely customizable. Use one of the simple ingredient swaps listed below to modify this dish to fit your family’s flavor preferences and dietary needs.

Whether you want to make a dish that will impress your family or simply want an excuse to work a little more pasta into your meal plan, this Manicotti is just the dish you’ve been looking for. It’s absolutely packed with flavor and easy to customize to satisfy your family.

What Is The Difference Between Cheese Manicotti And Stuffed Shells?

The difference in these two dishes is all in the variety of pasta used. Manicotti is a large tubular pasta that is ideal for filling. Stuffed shells are large seashell-shaped pasta with a bulbous bottom that is fantastic for filling as well.

Both cheese manicotti and stuffed shells are cooked pasta filled with a deliciously cheesy and creamy filling. They are covered with sauce and additional cheese and baked until bubbly and delicious.

What Is The Secret To Filling Manicotti?

The secret to easily filling manicotti is quite simple–use a piping bag! Those plastic bags that you have in your cabinet waiting for you to decorate your next cake can be used for another purpose.

All you need to do is put your creamy cheese manicotti filling inside of one and use it to gently push the filling into the middle of each cooked manicotti noodle. This will ensure even filling and help prevent your noodles from breaking in the process.

Ingredients To Grab

• Ricotta Cheese– Ricotta is the creamy base for the filling inside the manicotti shells. It provides a smooth texture and mild flavor that pairs well with other ingredients like spices and other cheeses.
• Manicotti Noodles– These tubular pasta shells are the vessels that hold the cheese filling. Their shape and size make them ideal for stuffing with the ricotta mixture.
• Ground Beef– Ground beef is used to make the meat sauce, which adds a hearty and savory component to the dish. It complements the creamy cheese filling and provides a contrast in texture.
• Mozzarella Cheese– Mozzarella is used as a topping for the dish and is added to the ricotta filling. When baked, it melts into a gooey, golden layer, adding a rich, cheesy finish.
• Parmesan Cheese– Parmesan adds a salty, nutty flavor to the ricotta filling. Its sharp taste enhances the overall flavor profile of the dish.
• Marinara Sauce– Marinara sauce serves as the base of the meat sauce and is poured over the stuffed manicotti before baking. It keeps the dish moist and adds tangy, herbaceous notes.
• Egg– The egg is mixed into the ricotta filling to act as a binder, helping the mixture hold together inside the noodles during baking.
• Spices– Spices like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper are added to both the ricotta filling and the meat sauce. They enhance the flavors and provide an aromatic taste.

How To Make Cheese Manicotti With Ground Beef

Cook the pasta. Place the uncooked pasta shells in a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 4-5 minutes, or until they are cooked al dente or slightly under. You want them to be still slightly firm, but not crunchy. Remove them from the hot water and allow them to cool.

Create the ground beef sauce. Cook the ground beef in a skillet until there is no pink remaining. Remove any excess grease from the pan. Pour the contents of the jar of marinara sauce into the cooked ground beef and stir to combine.

Create the cheese filling. Combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, half of the mozzarella cheese, egg, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. Add the ricotta cheese to a prepared piping bag.

Fill and pipe. Once the partially cooked manicotti shells are cooled enough to handle, use the prepared bag of ricotta cheese filling to fill the shells. Place the piping tip halfway in the center of the manicotti shell and squeeze while slowly moving the tip out. Repeat this process from the other end of the manicotti until the entire shell is filled with ricotta cheese blend.

Layer manicotti. Add 1/3 of the beef and marinara sauce mixture to the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Place the filled cheese manicotti on top of the sauce mixture. Cover the manicotti with the remaining sauce. Cover with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake and enjoy! Add the baking dish to an oven preheated to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Remove the baked cheese manicotti from the oven. Serve hot with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Tips And Tricks

• Don’t overcook the pasta. Ensuring your pasta is cooked to al dente or even slightly less than that will prevent your noodles from tearing while filling them. Don’t worry about crunchy, underdone pasta. The noodles will continue to cook in the oven after they are filled.
• It doesn’t have to be perfect. Accidents happen and sometimes the pasta will rip. There’s no need to waste any food. Just place the ripped side of your manicotti on the bottom of the pan and top the filled noodles with your ground beef sauce. No one will even notice that they aren’t perfect once they taste their first bite!
• Don’t skimp on the sauce. The amount of sauce used may seem excessive before baking the assembled dish. The sauce will reduce some in the oven while baking and you can always use a slice of crusty bread to soak up any extra sauce you may have left on your plate. Too little sauce can result in chewy pasta and a less flavorful bite.

There’s no need to struggle in the kitchen to create one of your favorite restaurant dishes. By reading over these simple tips and tricks before you get started, you can guarantee you make the perfect baked manicotti every time!

Variations

• Swap out the protein. Use ground Italian sausage, grilled chicken, or even skip the meat entirely for a vegetarian version of this dish.
• Change up the sauce. If you prefer a cream sauce, simply swap out the marinara sauce for a lovely Alfredo sauce before assembling.
• Try different cheeses. Some people aren’t fans of ricotta cheese. If you fall into that category, simply swap out the ricotta cheese for cottage cheese or a combination of equal portions of cottage cheese and cream cheese for a filling with a similar, but unique flavor.

No matter what flavor combinations your family prefers or dietary needs that you need to meet, you can easily modify Cheese Manicotti with ground beef to fit them.

If you have questions on how to modify this recipe to fit a specific dietary need or use a specific ingredient swap, leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to help make suggestions!

What To Eat With Baked Manicotti

If you want to turn this delicious Baked Cheese Manicotti into a complete Italian-inspired feast, consider serving it with some of these delicious side dishes:

• Garlic Knots
• Salad
• Corn on the Cob
• Steamed Veggies
• Cheesy Breadsticks

How Long Does It Last?

Baked Manicotti can last up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator. In fact, it may even be better reheated than it is fresh!

When you’re ready to enjoy your leftovers, warm a single serving in the microwave for 90 seconds, or until it is heated through. If you prefer, you can reheat them in a 375F oven for 20 minutes instead. This will help create that slightly crispy texture on the edges of the noodles that the microwave is unable to achieve.

Can You Freeze It?

I wouldn’t recommend freezing Cheese Manicotti to enjoy later. The texture of the ricotta cheese changes significantly when frozen and defrosted. It can become watery and gritty.

Instead, I would suggest cutting the recipe in half and simply preparing less manicotti at once. To do this, reduce all of the ingredients by half while continuing to include the whole egg. Bake according to the instructions for the full amount of servings below.

More Comfort Cooks

• Stuffed Shells
• Taco Mac and Cheese
• Bourbon Chicken
• Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
• Instant Pot Tortellini Soup

If you love this Baked Cheese Manicotti with Ground Beef recipe as much as we do, make sure you share it with your friends on social media so they can try it too! Don’t forget to save it so you can make it again the next time you’re craving a comforting pasta dish.