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Stuffed Manicotti with the Best Homemade Marinara Sauce

We are big-time Italian food fans here, so I put together a pasta-lover’s dream dish in the form of Stuffed Manicotti the other night for dinner.  Combined with the very best homemade marinara sauce, it was a huge hit with the family!  Even my three little picky eaters gobbled it right up!
It’s not very often at our house that my kids will eat what I make for dinner and actually enjoy it.  I’ve said before that they are probably the world’s finickiest eaters.  They even turn up their noses to sweets many times!  Crazy, I know!
So I’ve learned not to take it offensively when the kiddos sit at the dinner table and pick at their food for an hour.  Our rule is that they need to at least try a few bites of what my husband and I are having, and sometimes they end up surprising themselves and eating the whole plateful!
This was one of those wonderful occasions when they actually came looking for more!  But how could it be helped when a manicotti that’s stuffed with yummy cheese, doused in perfectly-seasoned homemade tomato marinara sauce, then topped with even more melty cheese is sitting in front of them?

Yields Fills 14

Stuffed Manicotti with the Best Homemade Marinara Sauce
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Ingredients

  • Filling:
  • 2 containers (15 oz. each) Ricotta Cheese
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tsp. rosemary
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 2 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • 2 c. grated mozzarella cheese (reserve for topping)
  • Marinara Sauce:
  •  
  • 1 whole can (14.5 oz.) Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes (garlic flavored)
  • 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. basil
  • 1/2 tsp. rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp. Marjoram

Instructions

  1. For the filling, stir all ingredients except mozzarella cheese together in a large bowl.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, then run cool water over noodles. Pat noodles dry with a paper towel, then fill each with cheese mixture.  
  2. For the sauce, place all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  3.  **I recommend preparing the sauce at least 3 hours ahead of time and storing in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to come together, but it will still be yummy if you don't have that extra time.
  4. Pour marinara sauce over the filled manicotti and cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.  5-10 minutes before it's done, remove it from the oven, take foil off, and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.  Return to oven, uncovered, and bake until cheese is bubbly, about 5-10 minutes.
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This glorious, delicious recipe will be going on our menu time and time again. I hope your family enjoys this meal as much as we did!
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