Manicotti

Manicotti are large tubes of dry durum wheat pasta made to be stuffed and baked. Barilla sells them in 8 oz boxes, boiled for 7 minutes and then finished in the oven, while Mueller's suggests fillings of ricotta, ground meat or spinach under marinara, meat or cheese sauce. ¹³

An old idea in a box. Barilla calls manicotti one of the oldest pasta shapes still made much as it first was. ¹ In ancient times, it says, dough was cut into large rectangles, covered with a tasty filling, rolled up and baked; the dry tube simply saves you the rolling. ¹ Mueller's, a US brand dating itself to 1867, still packs manicotti in 8 oz boxes. ³

What is in the box. Barilla makes its manicotti from semolina with non-GMO ingredients, and Mueller's lists wheat as the allergen in its pack. ¹³ Under the US standard, a macaroni product is dried dough made from semolina, durum flour, farina or flour with water, and the finished pasta must hold at least 87% solids. ⁶

Barilla's three-cheese manicotti. The recipe serves 5: one box of manicotti, one jar of tomato and basil sauce, 15 oz (425 g) of ricotta, 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, ½ cup of parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano. ² Ricotta, mozzarella and parsley make the filling, while sauce and grated cheese go on top. ²

Boil short, bake long. Barilla's recipe boils the tubes for only 5 minutes, two less than the box, then drains them and rinses them in cold water so they can be handled. ²¹ A 13×9 inch dish gets 1 cup of sauce, the filled tubes go on top, more sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano cover them, and the dish bakes under foil for 30–35 minutes at 375 °F (about 190 °C). ²

Fillings and sauces. Mueller's names ricotta, ground meat and spinach as fillings, and marinara, meat and cheese sauces to bake them in. ³ Barilla says manicotti suit robust, flavourful sauces with plenty of chunks and moisture for the oven, such as Bolognese, béchamel or vegetable sauces. ¹ That moisture matters, because the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce. ¹²

Nutrition and allergens. Dry pasta gives about 371 kcal per 100 g, and whole-milk ricotta 150 kcal with 7.5 g of protein and 206 mg of calcium. ⁹⁸ Wheat and milk are both on the EU list of allergens that labels must highlight, and egg pasta adds egg, so a cheese-filled bake carries at least two of them. ⁷⁴

Manicotti or cannelloni. De Cecco's cannelloni n° 100 are egg pasta, with 19.36% egg in the dough, sold in 250 g packs and filled with meat or with vegetables and ricotta under tomato and béchamel. ⁴ The Accademia Italiana della Cucina's cannelloni alla sorrentina from Campania start from 12 squares of fresh pasta rolled round meat ragù and ricotta, baked 20 minutes at 200 °C. ⁵ Barilla's manicotti are dry semolina tubes without egg. ¹

Why it matters to you. Boil manicotti for less time than the box says, because they finish in the oven: Barilla uses 5 minutes, then 30–35 in the oven. ² Keep the sauce generous so the tubes do not dry out. ¹ Check the label for wheat and milk and, in egg pasta, for egg. ⁷⁴