Cheesy, Cozy, Viral: Cottage Cheese Stuffed Manicotti with Marinara
If pasta had a personality, manicotti would be the chillest. Like, the older cousin of lasagna who’s super low-maintenance, never judges your sauce choices, and always shows up to the dinner party lookin’ good. And this version? She’s cheesy, cozy, and totally ready for her viral moment.
We’re talking tender pasta tubes stuffed with a cottage cheese filling (yes, cottage cheese—don’t click away yet), snuggled under a blanket of rich marinara, and baked until bubbly perfection. It’s giving “I spent all day making this” energy, but secretly takes less effort than trying to remember your Hulu password.
Why Cottage Cheese?
Let’s break the stigma: cottage cheese isn’t just for gym bros and 80s diet culture. It’s packed with protein, has this light texture that holds up beautifully when baked, and BONUS—it’s usually cheaper than ricotta. It melts into the filling like a dream and gives you that cheesy richness without being too heavy. In this house, we stan cottage cheese.
Fun fact: Cottage cheese was literally a survival food for astronauts during early space missions. If it’s good enough for orbit, it’s good enough for your weeknight pasta bake.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
- ✅ Big cozy energy with low-effort vibes
- ✅ Higher in protein (hello cottage cheese!)
- ✅ Great for make-ahead, meal prep
- ✅ Crowd-pleaser even for picky eaters
- ✅ No ricotta? No problem.
Serve It With:
Garlic bread, obvi. I always have to have green beans with it! Maybe a simple Caesar or Italian chopped salad if you’re feeling fancy. And if you’re not? No judgment—this is a paper plate kind of meal in the best way.
This is your sign to embrace the cottage cheese comeback and make this stuffed manicotti recipe. It’s weeknight-worthy, Sunday dinner approved, and TikTok-trending in spirit if not in views (yet 👀).
Cheesy, Cozy, Viral: Cottage Cheese Stuffed Manicotti with Marinara
Ingredients
Manicotti Filling:
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 16- ounce container cottage cheese
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 8 ounce package manicotti
Homemade Marinara:
- 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Start by heating oil in a pot for the marinara. Add the garlic and allow to toast, until they’re golden and fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Pour in the tomatoes and gently crush them up. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the sugar and seasonings. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer, stirring now and then, for about 30 minutes until it thickens and reduces to about 3 cups. Once it’s done, discard the garlic.
- Heat up a medium skillet over medium heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of oil, toss in the onion and ground beef, then season with salt and pepper. Sauté everything until the meat is browned and the onions are soft and translucent—this should take around 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Next, prepare your baking dish by brushing it with 1 teaspoon of oil. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of salted boiling water, just until they start to soften but still have a firm bite, around 4 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta to the oiled baking sheet so it can cool down.
- In the meantime, mix the cottage cheese, 1 1/2 to 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, and some dried parsley in a bowl. Add garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Once the meat mixture has cooled, stir that into the cheesy mixture too.
- Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish. Then, fill each manicotti shell with the cheese-meat mixture (Cut in half and stuff, then place seam side down… or use a piping bag… or even a plastic baggie with a large section of the corner snipped off makes things a lot easier.) Place them in a single layer in the dish. Pour the remaining meat-cheese mixture, then the marinara over the top.
- Finish it off by sprinkling the remaining mozzarella (about 1 1/2 cups) and 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the pasta. Dot the top with little pieces of butter. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until everything is heated through and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
- Once it’s done, let it sit for 5 minutes, then dig in and serve!
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