Published May 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.
For a baked manicotti recipe with all of the flavor and none of the fuss, we discarded the slippery tube-shaped pasta and decided to spread the filling onto flat wrappers instead, which we then rolled up. For the wrappers, we found that no-boil lasagna noodles were ideal. After a quick soak in boiling water, these noodles could be spread with filling and rolled up in a few easy minutes, making for a no-hassle manicotti recipe.
We prefer Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles for their delicate texture resembling fresh pasta. Note that Pasta Defino and Ronzoni brands contain only 12 no-boil noodles per package; the recipe requires 16 noodles. The manicotti can be prepared through step 5, covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
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