This is the filling I always use:

2 pounds ricotta cheese
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Once you cook the shells (al dente - it will be easier to fill them that way), put the cheese mixture in either a pastry bag or a ziploc bag and snip a corner. Then you can squeeze the filling into the shells - much easier than trying to spoon it in.

Layer some sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Put the filled shells on top of the sauce, ladle some sauce over the manicotti, then sprinkle with some grated mozzarella and parmesan. Bake at 375 F. for 30 - 40 minutes. Yum!

Lori

My recipe is pretty similar to Lori's, but grated fresh mozzarella cheese (bufala mozzarella if I'm splurging) , and add more grated cheese (probably about 1/4 cup parmesan, 1/4 cup romano).

And sometimes, I like to add chopped, sauteed spinach to the mixture.

Ann

Another tip for next time: Use fresh flat pasta sheets instead of the tubes. Easy to lay a line of filling across the sheet, (or part of one -- if they are large, you might have to cut in half or more), then roll up and put in the pan seam side down.

Actually, I think I've only used the tubes once. I always make crepes when making manicotti. Much easier than tubes! :-D But since you asked about the tubes, I figured I'd give you the easiest way I knew how to fill them. But I agree with Weed. Use pasta sheets or crepes next time! I think you'll like the texture better, too!! :-D

Lori

I make my own manicotti crepes.

LASAGNA-MANICOTTI CREPES
1 c. water
1 c. flour
3 Lg. eggs
1/4 ts salt

Blend until smooth in blender. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Fry the crepes in a hot, lubricated pan. Pour about 2 ounces of batter for each crepe. Tip and turn the pan until the batter covers the bottom - return excess to batter. Cook until the top appears dry and the bottom is beginning to brown. Turn and cook the other side very lightly. Stack between sheets of waxed paper.

Spread filling on crepe and roll up. pour sauce on top & top with cheese and bake about 1 hour at 350º

Here's something I do that's similar; you can tweak this:

VEGETABLE-FILLED SHELLS WITH CREAMY HERB SAUCE

Serves 6 generously

Ingredients

18 extra large shell pasta

Vegetable filling:

8 oz zucchini, shredded
2 Tbs butter
2 cups chopped (1/4-inch pieces) broccoli
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup chopped scallions
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 whole egg, beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 to 2 cups recipe Creamy Herb Sauce:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 Tbs unsalted sweet butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch cayenne
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (my favorite combination: basil, celery leaf, Italian parsley and fennel leaf)

Directions:

Toss the zucchini with the salt; transfer to a colander set over a bowl. Place a saucer on top of the zucchini and weight with something heavy. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water, drain and squeeze dry. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Cook the pasta shells in plenty of boiling salted water until barely cooked, about seven minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cool water and let stand until ready to use.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet; add the zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, carrot and scallions; sauté until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, egg, basil, and parmesan cheese; add the vegetables; stir to blend.

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9X13-inch baking dish. Drain the shells; carefully invert on paper towels to blot dry. Fill the shells with the stuffing mixture, distributing evenly. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle each shell with some of the remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Prepare the creamy herb sauce while the shells are baking the final 15 minutes or so.

Combine the cream, butter salt, nutmeg and cayenne in a heavy saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.

Whisk in Parmesan and fresh herbs and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.

Serve the stuffed shells with some of the creamy herb sauce spooned over each serving.

Joe

I've only made manicotti once, and my son and I made the crepes too. This is the recipe that we used, and it was very good.

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

Ham-Stuffed Manicotti

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 manicotti shells
1/2 cup shopped onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups ground fully cooked ham -- (1 pound)
1 can sliced mushrooms -- (4 ounces) drained
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese -- (4 ounces) divided
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Paprika
chopped fresh parsley

Cook manicotti according to package directions; set aside. In a large
skillet, sauté onion in oil until tender. Remove from the heat. Add ham,
mushrooms, half of the Swiss cheese and Parmesan; set aside. In a
saucepan, sauté green pepper in butter until tender. Stir in flour until
thoroughly combined. Add milk; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened
and bubbly. Mix a quarter of the sauce into ham mixture. Stuff each shell
with about 1/3 cup of filling. Place in a greased 11x7x2 inch baking dish.
Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with paprika. Cover and bake at 350F
for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley and remaining
Swiss cheese before serving. Recipe can easily be doubled for a larger
group.

Source:
"Taste of Home Supplement"

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Joe,
That filling sounds really good with the added veggies.

Thanks everyone, all of these sound really good, and I'm very happy to have the advice about using the bag to fill the tubes. I think I'll kind of do a combination of recipes. This will probably be a one time deal, but if we really love it, the next time I will go with the pasta sheets.
Thanks again
Sally

Joe, for just an instant I thought that recipe was going to be healthy, all those veggies. Then we got to the cream and butter and cheese and you have totally redeemed yourself in my eyes. (grin)

That sounds amazing for a "special" meal, something rich and decadent that the girls and Elery would love.

Becky, I'm betting Amanda and David would like that filling with the ham too, and we just sent pigs to be processed, so I'm sure I can get my hands on ham. Thanks.

Annie