This 4-ingredient slow cooker holiday manicotti is my kind of long-weekend cooking: minimal effort, cozy payoff. Using dry manicotti tubes, jarred sauce, ricotta, and a blanket of cheese on top, you get that classic Italian-American comfort without hovering over the stove. It borrows the spirit of baked manicotti—an American cousin of cannelloni popularized in mid-20th-century red-sauce restaurants—but lets the slow cooker do the work while you’re outside enjoying the May weather. Everything goes in early, and by dinnertime you lift the lid to find plump, tender pasta cylinders tucked into a bubbling crimson sauce with a melted, golden top.
Serve this slow cooker manicotti straight from the crock with a big green salad—think mixed lettuces, a sharp vinaigrette, and maybe a few olives to cut through the richness. Warm, crusty bread or garlic toast is ideal for swiping up the extra sauce. A light, fruity red wine or a sparkling water with lemon works well alongside. For a holiday weekend spread, I like to round it out with a simple antipasto plate of marinated vegetables and cured meats so guests can nibble while the manicotti stays warm on the “keep warm” setting.
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Holiday Manicotti
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 (24–26 ounce) jar prepared marinara or pasta sauce
1 (15–16 ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend or mozzarella cheese, divided
12–14 dry manicotti tubes (uncooked)
