Slow Cooker Manicotti

Manicotti makes a perfect vegetarian meal option.  Pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese, covered in marinara! How can you go wrong? Even the biggest carnivore will love this meal.

Slow Cooker Manicotti served on a white plate.

My husband devoured it! But that could have been because I have deprived my family of pasta for a while now.  I was just trying to drop some pounds, hopefully, along the way he would too. 😉 Don’t tell him I said that.

Try our Cajun Chicken Pasta!

Slow Cooker Spinach Ricotta Manicotti

spinach manicotti stuffing mixture in a bowl

What’s awesome about this recipe is you don’t have to boil the pasta first.  

In a large bowl mix together the garlic, ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, spinach, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and nutmeg until well combined.

Spoon the filling it into a zip-top plastic bag, snip a corner off the bag and squeeze into the pasta tubes. Easy, right?

Spinach Ricotta Manicotti on top of marinara sauce in the crock of a slow cooker

Cover the bottom of the crockpot with 3/4 of a jar of marinara sauce.  

Stuff the manicotti and lay the first layer of filled manicotti on top of the sauce.

Place about 1/2 cup of pasta sauce over the first layer of pasta.

Serve our Strawberry Shortcake for dessert!

Spinach Ricotta Manicotti top with marinara sauce in the crock of a slow cooker

Repeat with the remaining stuffed manicotti shells and cover with the remaining sauce. Make sure it’s fully covered.  

Cook on high 2 hours or low for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours until fork-tender, depending on your slow cooker.  Mine cooked for 3 1/2 hours.  

Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top and let cook another 10 to 15 mins, or until melted.

Slow Cooker Spinach Ricotta Manicotti on a white plate garnished with fresh basil leaves

Serve and enjoy this simple slow cooker manicotti! If you’ve been deprived of pasta lately too, this dish will really satisfy!

Try our most popular pasta recipe Italian Sausage Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce!

Think crockpot recipes are the best? Try our Slow Cooker Roasted Chicken.

Manicotti Recipe

Slow Cooker Manicotti served on a white plate.

Slow Cooker Manicotti

Slow Cooker Manicotti – This ricotta spinach manicotti is a perfect slow cooker vegetarian meal!
4.50 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, Main Course, pasta
Cuisine: American, Italian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 487kcal
Author: Don’t Sweat The Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 1-2 cloves garlic – minced
  • 2- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg – beaten
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1 cup packed frozen chopped spinach – thawed and well-drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1 package Manicotti shells
  • 48 oz marinara sauce (2 jars of your favorite kind)

Instructions

  • In a large bowl mix together the garlic, ricotta, egg, parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, spinach, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and nutmeg until well combined.
  • Put the manicotti filling into a gallon sized zip-top bag.
  • Snip off one corner with scissors as you would with a pastry bag, squeeze the filling into each manicotti tube until each tube is full.
  • Place 3/4 of 1 jar of sauce over the bottom of the slow cooker. Lay a layer of filled manicotti on top of the sauce, cover the first layer of pasta with about 1/2 cup of sauce and repeat with the remaining pasta, ending with sauce covering the pasta completely.
  • Cook on high for 2 hours or low for about 4 hours. Check periodically to make sure it’s not drying out. When the manicotti is fork tender, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella over the top and cook until melted about 10 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 1783mg | Potassium: 1050mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4728IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 480mg | Iron: 4mg

Recipe adapted from Sand&Sissal

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14 Comments

    1. Yes, but you will need to wilt it down and squeeze out excess moisture before mixing it with the ricotta.

  1. Not having to boil the shells?! Gamechanger! I have made twice in the last month, once for my family, once for my sister’s clan(doubled the recipe). Total success with all!! Thank you for this different spin on Manicotti recipe.5 stars

  2. This is a great dish! I made a double recipe of Lidia Bastianich’s marinara sauce instead of sauce from a jar and used all of it to cover the pasta. I made the mistake of cutting slightly too much off the corner of my plastic bag. I managed to fill the manicotti shells with the ricotta mixture but it was a little messy, so next time, I’ll trim off less. I will definitely make this again!5 stars

  3. Wow! Never thought about making manicotti in the slow cooker. I’m going to try it. Thanks so much for sharing with Merry Monday.

  4. These manicotti look so wonderful! Even better since you can make them in a slow cooker. 🙂

  5. Sounds and looks delicious! Great that you don’t have to cook the manicotti shells first, too. Thanks for sharing. Pinning. Blessings, Janet

  6. What a delicious recipe for the Slow Cooker, we will love it! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday today. Have a great day and come back soon!
    Miz Helen5 stars

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