Name: Cheese Filled Manicotti
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 28 oz. crushed tomatoes; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon dried onions; 1/2 teaspoon oregano; 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon basil; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 12 manicotti noodles; 15 oz. low fat ricotta cheese; 8 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided); 1 egg; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/2 teaspoon basil

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If you are looking for delicious and affordable comfort food, look no further than cheese filled manicotti.

It’s a classic Italian dish that can easily be made for a ten dollar meal without skimping on flavor or satisfaction.

Cheese manicotti is a simple but flavorsome dish. This mouthwatering Italian cuisine is built around large pasta shells or tubes filled to the brim with a savory blend of cheese.

Translated from Italian, ‘manicotti’ signifies ‘little sleeve’, a playful tribute to the appearance of the pasta.

The pasta, once filled with the cheese blend, is bathed in a robust tomato sauce and baked until it achieves a bubbling consistency.

At its heart, cheese manicotti is the essence of comfort food – a delicious medley of carbohydrates and cheese that will draw you back for seconds.

Breaking down the Cost

Here’s what I bought:

Crushed tomatoes (28 oz. can) $1.89
Low fat ricotta cheese (15 oz.) $3.39
Part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (8 oz.) $2.49
Manicotti noodles (8 oz.) $2.99

The total came to $10.76. It’s slightly over $10, but it includes 6 servings of two cheese filled manicotti. It’s very filling.

I don’t include “pantry staples” in the price. For this recipe, it’s the seasonings and one egg.

How to Make Cheese Filled Manicotti

The first thing I did was got the sauce going. Add the crushed tomatoes to a saucepan, then add the garlic powder, onion powder, dried onions, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and black pepper.

Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let the sauce cook while you get the other ingredients ready, stirring occasionally.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt the water then add the manicotti noodles. Cook the noodles for 7 minutes, they will still be kind of hard, which is fine. Since it’s going to bake for a while, the noodles will finish cooking in the oven.

When the cooking time is up, drain the noodles and let them cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, egg, garlic, and basil. Mix together until it is combined.

The easiest way to get the cheese mixture into the manicotti is by using a piping bag. If you don’t have a piping bag you can fill a ziploc bag with the cheese mixture and cut the corner.

Add about 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce to an 8×10 baking dish.

Fill each manicotti with the cheese mixture, then add to the pan.

Once all of the manicotti are filled, top them with the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese over the manicotti.

Cover the baking dish, then bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

Your whole family will love this dish. They’ll never even guess it’s WW friendly!

Click here to track the points on your WW app.

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Prep Time:20

Cook Time:30

Total Time:50

Ingredients

For the sauce:

28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried onions
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the manicotti:

12 manicotti noodles
15 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
8 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon basil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8×10 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, dried onions, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and black pepper to a small saucepan.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover, and turn the heat to low, stirring occasionally.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt the water then add the manicotti noodles. Cook the noodles for 7 minutes. They will still be kind of hard, which is fine since it's going to bake for a while.
When the cooking time is up, drain the noodles and let the cool slightly.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, egg, garlic, and basil. Mix it until it is combined.
Add 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce to the baking dish. Fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the cheese mixture and fill the manicotti noodles. Place the cheese filled manicotti into the baking dish.
Top the manicotti noodles with the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Here are some more WW friendly recipes:

Baked Ziti

Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce

Lasagna Casserole

Lasagna Soup

If you’re looking for some zero point recipes, check out my post 20 Zero Point Recipes or my post 20 (More) Zero Point Recipes. Both are filled with delicious recipes that won’t cost you a single point! They’re perfect for days when you’re running low on points, or trying to save up points for a night out.

If you’re looking for dessert recipes you can visit 50 Weight Watchers Freestyle Desserts. It’s filled with delicious desserts perfect for Weight Watchers!

Are you looking for a meal plan that’s Weight Watchers friendly? I have over 100 meal plans that you can choose from and I post a new one each week. Click here to check them out!