Cheese & Pumpkin-Filled Manicotti

Name: Cheese & Pumpkin-Filled Manicotti
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 7 servings.
Ingredients: 1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells; 1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese; 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided; 1 cup canned pumpkin; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 large egg yolks; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 jar (24 ounces) garlic pasta sauce, divided

Our family adores autumn and anything to do with pumpkins! This warm, comforting recipe is so easy to put together on a cool fall weeknight. When I have time, I make homemade ravioli and tortellini using this same filling. It also works well in stuffed shells. —Mandy Howison, Renfrew, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 jar (24 ounces) garlic pasta sauce, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions for al dente. Drain.
In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, pumpkin, Parmesan cheese, egg yolks and nutmeg. Spoon into manicotti.
Spread 1 cup pasta sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with stuffed manicotti. Pour remaining pasta sauce over top; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake, covered, 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Nutrition Facts

2 stuffed manicotti shells: 392 calories, 16g fat (9g saturated fat), 100mg cholesterol, 704mg sodium, 41g carbohydrate (13g sugars, 4g fiber), 22g protein.

Originally published as Pumpkin and Cheese Cannelloni in Country Woman October/November 2013

Reviews

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Average Rating:

muffbear74

Mar 9, 2017

The tomato/pumpkin combination was different, but still good. Made stuffed shells, because our store was out of manicotti.
PrplMonky5

Jan 31, 2017

I made this using jumbo shells (about 20) instead of manicotti and it turned out well! I noticed others mentioning that the pumpkin flavor didn't stand out, which was a bit disappointing to me. So to help counter that, I did 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a rounded 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. That really helped the pumpkin stand out. It still wasn't overpowering, but it was more noticeable. After it was finished baking, we found it still needed a little something, so we added a bit more parmesan on top, and that did the trick. I'd be interested in trying a parmesan-bread crumb mixture on top of the pasta before baking it. A great recipe we'd try again, but 4 stars because of the need to tweak it a bit to suit our taste.
cctp1016

Nov 15, 2016

Loved this recipe! Will definitely make again!
dmkinsey

Nov 5, 2016

Delicious! I really love this recipe! I didn't have nutmeg, so I used mace instead. Used a ziploc baggie with a small hole cut on one end to fill the manicotti shells -- much easier than trying to stuff them with a spoon!
hkpepin

Oct 6, 2016

We ate this tonight for dinner and literally devoured the pan. Every single one of us went back for seconds and we ended up with only two manicotti uneaten. I followed the recipe exactly, but I did make this several days ahead of time and refrigerate it. I will absolutely make this again, especially since I can make it ahead of time! I do agree with other reviewers that you can barely taste the pumpkin and I would like a way to make that flavor more pronounced. Overall, a great recipe.
danielleylee

Oct 17, 2015

I made these the other night for dinner. I cut the recipe in half and it worked out very well. My husband agrees with the other reviewers that you cannot taste the pumpkin. I used freshly roasted pumpkin as well. The dish turned out very well using fat free ricotta and just using 1 whole egg vs egg yolks. So if you are looking to sneak in some extra veggies into your diet or your families diet this is a good way to do it without them noticing the pumpkin.
BetsyRDH

Sep 28, 2015

This turned out very well. I also used a ziploc bag to fill them, but made the hole a little too big so made a mess. We both loved it. Will keep in my recipe box to make over and over again! Yum!
alfoa

Feb 15, 2015

You don't really notice the pumpkin, but it provides a creamy, cheesy filling. Husband was afraid to try it, but loved it. Will make again and again.To clarify the other reviews: there is no extra filling. This makes 14 manicotti, a whole 8 oz package. 2 manicotti per serving.
pallybaker

Jan 3, 2015

I must admit that I was skeptical about pumpkin with tomato sauce but, since I really like pumpkin, I thought,"Why not give it a try? How bad can it be?" I made these per the recipe last night for dinner and, wow, they are excellent!!! Thanks Mandy. Great idea.
karlabird

Oct 28, 2014

This was my first time making manicotti, and was made easy by using a ziplock bag with a corner cut off to pipe the filling out into the manicotti tubes. At high altitude I cooked it longer (8 minutes). Should have cooked five minutes more.