Cheesy Beef Manicotti (2024)

Ingredients

Scale

For the ground beef

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 (24-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the cheese filling

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated provolone
• 1/4 cup grated asiago
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
• 12 manicotti pasta shells

1. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and break it apart as it browns. Add the chopped onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Let it all cook together until the ground beef is browned and the onion and garlic have softened. Once cooked remove it all from the pan and set it aside to cool.
2. In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat before adding the additional onion and garlic. Add the balsamic vinegar and scrape up all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Next, add in all of the tomatoes. Bring it all to a strong simmer and then reduce the heat so that it’s lightly simmering. Gently break apart the tomatoes as they cook. Add the thyme leaves, parsley, salt, and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes. Once it’s simmered you can either keep it the way it is if you like a chunkier sauce or, using an immersion blender or stand blender, puree the sauce until it’s smooth.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the manicotti and boil them for about five minutes or so. Drain them in a colander and then lay them out in a single layer on paper towels to cool.
4. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the cheese filling. Mix all of the cheeses together in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the cooked ground beef.
5. To assemble the manicotti, first brush about a quarter cup or so of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Stuff each manicotti with the meat and cheese filling (the easiest way is to use your hands). Gently press the filling into the pasta until it’s filled end-to-end. Place the stuffed manicotti in the baking dish in a single layer.
6. Once all of the manicotti are in the dish, pour the sauce over the top. Use whichever cheese you like and grate it over the top of the pasta (I like to use a mixture of all three, about 1/2 cup total). Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted on top. Let stand a few minutes before serving.