Name: Baked Manicotti for Two
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves , minced; ¼ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil; 8 ounces (1 cup) whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese; 3 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese , shredded (¾ cup); 2 ounces Parmesan cheese , grated (1 cup); 1 large egg , lightly beaten; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil; ¼ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon pepper; 6 no-boil lasagna noodles

Why This Recipe Works

When cooking for two, the hassle of putting a dish like this together hardly seems worth it. Could we find a simpler, better method for making manicotti? Stuffing and baking raw pasta tubes proved problematic, but soaking no-boil lasagna noodles until just pliable and rolling them up around the filling worked perfectly—and saved us the trouble of cooking the pasta separately. To ensure our filling was thick and creamy—not thin and runny—we mixed ricotta with a generous amount of mozzarella. Finally, just six ingredients whirred in the food processor gave us a fresh, bright tomato sauce in no time. As the manicotti baked, the tomato sauce reduced just enough that it didn't taste raw and kept the manicotti moist and tender.

Before You Begin

Do not substitute fat-free ricotta cheese here.

Instructions

for the sauce

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Process tomatoes and their juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes, if using, in food processor until smooth, about 10 seconds. Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in basil.

for the filling and pasta

Combine ricotta, mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, egg, basil, salt, and pepper in bowl.

Fill large bowl halfway with boiling water. Slip noodles into water, one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean dish towels.

Spread ½ cup sauce over bottom of 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan. Transfer noodles to counter with short sides facing you. Spread ¼ cup ricotta mixture evenly over bottom three-quarters of each noodle. Roll noodles up around filling and lay them, seam side down, in pan. Spoon remaining sauce over top to cover noodles completely. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmesan.

Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake until bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is browned in spots, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.