Classic Manicotti with Hand Made Pasta

This is manicotti the way Italian grandmothers actually make it: not stuffed into dried tubes from a box, but rolled in tender, handmade pasta squares. It’s a weekend project, but the difference in texture is night and day, delicate, silky pasta instead of thick, chewy shells.

The fresh dough is simple, just flour and eggs kneaded smooth, but the key is letting it rest, covered, for an hour. That rest relaxes the gluten so you can roll it paper-thin without it springing back, then cut it into rectangles and boil briefly.

The filling is a classic blend of ricotta, diced mozzarella and Parmesan, bound with egg so it sets firm rather than oozing out. You mound it along each square and fold the pasta over twice to enclose it.

Arrange the rolls in meat sauce, spoon more sauce and Parmesan over the top, and a short bake melds it all together.

Chef Tips

• Don’t skip the hour rest for the dough. It relaxes the gluten so the pasta rolls thin without snapping back.
• Roll the dough as thin as you can manage. Thin sheets turn out tender and cook through quickly.
• The egg in the filling is what binds it, so it stays put when baked instead of running out the ends.

Variations

• Use a plain marinara instead of meat sauce to make it vegetarian.
• Add chopped spinach or fresh herbs to the cheese filling.
• Short on time? Use no-boil lasagna sheets or store-bought manicotti tubes with the same filling and sauce.