My husband had a craving for stuffed shells, and we settled on spinach and ricotta manicotti. We tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/spinach-ricotta-cannelloni/.
Our modifications: first, we used 1 lb uncooked manicotti shells, which were the right amount for the spinach ricotta filling. The stuffed shells also fit in a 13 x 9” baking dish.
Second, instead of passata, we used 28 oz of no-salt crushed tomatoes.
Third, because manicotti is larger than cannelloni, the pasta took longer than 30 mins at 350 to bake. We increased the baking time to approx. 50-55 mins just to cook the pasta, and then added the cheese and baked for an additional 15 mins.
Fourth, instead of frozen spinach, we used 8 oz of fresh baby spinach, which we roughly chopped before folding into the ricotta filling. We also used freshly grated nutmeg (from a whole nutmeg).
Fifth, we found 1 1/2 bags (8 oz each) of Tillamook shredded mozzarella sufficient for both the filling and the topping. We used Del Gioisio shredded parmesan (about 4/5 of the 5 oz container).
This was a tasty dish. We enjoyed it. (Nov. 2025)
Cooking Adventures 