Crepe-Style Manicotti Recipe: Light Italian Stuffed Crepes

A Taste of Family History

These delicate crepe-style manicotti are filled with comforting, cheesy fillings and baked in sauce until light and decadent. This is a treasured family recipe that can be made ahead and baked when you’re ready to serve.

We made these for Auntie Marge’s 90th birthday. When I asked what she would like to eat, a relative instantly said, “Grandma’s manicotti.” I asked for the family recipe, and we spent a day making these tender pasta sheets and rich fillings. They’re essentially thin crepes made from a simple egg, flour, and water batter, filled, rolled, and baked in tomato sauce. Auntie Marge was delighted and loved them.

Plan Ahead for Ease

This recipe is a true labor of love, but it’s manageable if you plan. Preparing the fillings ahead of time cuts the workload dramatically — you’ll be more than halfway finished before you start assembling.

I recommend making the fillings a day or two in advance. For a large crowd — we made manicotti for fifty people — I tripled the amounts in the recipe card below. The recipe scales easily, so adjust quantities to suit your needs.

Make and Bake the Next Day

We rolled our manicotti on a Friday and baked them on Sunday with fantastic results. Many people ask whether these can be frozen. I haven’t frozen them myself, and because the crepes are delicate I’m cautious about freezing before baking. They will likely hold up better if baked first.

If you want to experiment with freezing, try this method: roll the manicotti and freeze them on a tray without sauce. Once frozen, transfer the rolls to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, thaw, place in a baking dish with sauce, and bake as directed. This is similar to how I handle stuffed shells, which freeze well once baked.

The Cheese

This version relies mainly on ricotta and a bit of Parmesan or Romano — no mozzarella is required. I was skeptical at first that it would be creamy without other cheeses, but the texture is rich and satisfying. If available, a thicker whole-milk ricotta tends to yield less watery filling and a better final texture.

Reheat Well

These reheat beautifully. I made them on Sunday and reheated leftovers on Tuesday in a pan; they stayed light, fluffy, and delicious. Microwaving works too. The crepes will absorb some sauce as they sit, so keep extra sauce on hand to refresh them when reheating.

Crepe Style Manicotti Recipe

A treasured family recipe from Grandma Josephine: delicate crepe-style manicotti filled with ricotta or a savory meat-and-cheese filling, baked in marinara until tender. A classic Sunday-dinner favorite to share with family.

Ingredients

• 1. For the crepes (makes about 10 crepes): 3 eggs, 1 cup flour, 1 cup water.
• 2. Meat filling (fills about 10 crepes): 1 lb ground meat, 1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry), 1 lb ricotta, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup Romano or Parmesan, 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon parsley.
• 3. Cheese filling (optional): 2 lbs ricotta, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup Romano or Parmesan, 1 teaspoon parsley.
• 4. Additional: Marinara sauce for topping and baking (estimate one 24-ounce jar per pan of 10 manicotti), extra grated Parmesan if desired.

Instructions

1. Make the crepe-style pasta

1. In a bowl, beat the eggs well.
2. Add the water and mix.
3. Gradually whisk in the flour until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
4. Lightly grease an 8- to 10-inch nonstick skillet or crepe pan.
5. Pour a small amount of batter into the pan and swirl to coat the bottom in a thin layer; aim for very thin crepes.
6. Cook just until set, then flip briefly.
7. Remove and stack on a plate. Repeat until all batter is used. One batch makes about 10–12 crepes.

2. Make the meat filling

1. Brown the ground meat in a skillet and drain excess fat.
2. Combine the cooked meat with the squeezed spinach, ricotta, eggs, Romano/Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and parsley.
3. Mix until fully combined.

3. Make the cheese filling (if using)

1. Mix ricotta, eggs, Romano/Parmesan, and parsley until smooth.

4. Assemble the manicotti

1. Lay a crepe flat on a work surface.
2. Place a spoonful of filling along one edge.
3. Roll up gently, tucking the sides if desired, and place seam-side down in a baking dish lightly coated with tomato sauce.
4. Repeat until the dish is full.

5. Bake

1. Spoon sauce over the top of the manicotti.
2. Cover the dish with foil.
3. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Remove foil, sprinkle extra cheese if desired, and bake uncovered an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Notes: For large batches we made 100 crepes and used about 3 lbs ground beef, six to seven 15-ounce containers of ricotta, five batches of crepes, and eight jars of marinara sauce.