We save some time by piping the chicken, cheese and spinach filling directly into uncooked manicotti shells, then letting them bake to perfection in a creamy, rich Alfredo sauce. Comfort pasta at its best.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large leek (about 10 ounces), white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (about 1 pound)
- 1 cup diced rotisserie chicken
- 3/4 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 8-ounce box manicotti
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the Alfredo sauce: Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.
- Add the garlic and leeks to the skillet with the remaining bacon fat and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half, Parmesan, crushed red pepper and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Add the cream cheese and cook until the sauce is thickened and the cheese is melted and fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and black pepper.
- For the filling: Add the spinach, ricotta, chicken, Italian blend cheese, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a large bowl and mix until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to a large disposable piping bag (or resealable plastic bag) and snip a large hole at the end of the bag.
- For the pasta: Spoon 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a flameproof (not glass) 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pipe the filling into both ends of the uncooked manicotti shells until filled and arrange them in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce, reserved bacon and Italian blend cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the pasta is cooked, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil. Turn the oven to broil. Broil until the top is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with more chopped parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 814 |
| Total Fat | 53 g |
| Saturated Fat | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 164 mg |
| Sodium | 1030 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 814 |
| Total Fat | 53 g |
| Saturated Fat | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 164 mg |
| Sodium | 1030 mg |
Reviews
Haven’t tried it yet, but what do you do with the bacon you set aside?
Delicious, added the zest of the lemon to the sauce and it was perfect
Tried this for the first time and it was delicious!!!
I used canned chicken instead and it still turned out great.
Very easy to make since you don’t have to parcook the noodles.
Highly recommend!!
I used canned chicken instead and it still turned out great.
Very easy to make since you don’t have to parcook the noodles.
Highly recommend!!
This was delicious, I made crepes instead of using pasta. The Alfredo sauce thickened and it was so creamy!
Par boiled the pasta and added 1/2 cup of half and half to the baking pan before adding the sauce. This made the pasta tender. Put a jar of artichoke hearts and some garlic in the sauce and the family loved it.
Tjiiiu
It was so dry… we did not like it at all. Followed the recipe every step
I cooked the manicotti shells for 4 minutes and then dropped them in ice water. I tried the no bake method, but the pasta was tough. Also, I left out the chicken. It doesn’t add anything to the flavor. This makes it perfect for vegetarians. I used my own Alfredo sauce recipe. I know it sounds like I didn’t use the recipe, but the filling is what is important and was great minus the chicken.
The manicotti never got soft and the Alfredo sauce was too runny. Not sure where I went wrong as I followed all of the instructions. Thumbs down.
I par boiled the Manicotti for 8 minutes, that was the only change I made. We all loved it, and the left overs warm up nice.