String Cheese Manicotti

My String Cheese Manicotti is hands down the easiest way to fill manicotti!  String cheese is stuffed into each pasta tube before being covered with a meaty marinara sauce – an absolute pasta and cheese lover’s delight!

Keep in touch!  Subscribe to receive Melanie Makes recipes direct to your inbox.

Original content posted April 2017.  Updated February 2019.

Manicotti tends to be so time consuming.  And messy.  

Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely delicious but the prep work to get to the insanely delicious end result tends to make everyone think twice before adding it to their dinner menu.  But what if there was an easier way to get manicotti to your dinner table? 

Prepare to celebrate my friends, my String Cheese Manicotti is the answer to your how to stuff manicotti without making your kitchen a disaster dilemmas!

Like many of you, we typically have string cheese in the fridge for a healthy snack option.  In fact, we have an entire bin of cheese in our fridge, but that’s a topic for another day.  Those seven years we lived in Wisconsin might’ve rubbed off on me.  

When peering in the fridge one afternoon as I attempted to come up with a dinner idea, the proverbial light bulb came on.  Why not stuff one of my favorite pastas with string cheese instead of the typical messy filling that you have to spoon or pipe into each tube?  

How to Stuff Manicotti

My String Cheese Manicotti is hands down the easiest way to fill manicotti!  A piece of string cheese is stuffed into each pasta tube before being covered with a meaty marinara sauce.  

It’s all then covered in another blanket of mozzarella cheese and baked until bubbly.  A garnish of chopped parsley and a shower of Parmesan cheese makes this an absolute pasta and cheese lover’s delight!

This String Cheese Manicotti is the absolute answer on how to stuff manicotti without you or your kitchen wearing half of the filling.  Now you can enjoy your favorite pasta at home quickly and easily any day of the week.  Talk about winning!  I’m kind of kicking myself for not having this revelation years ago!

If you’re looking for other delicious weeknight pasta dishes, I can’t recommend my Quick and Easy Spinach and Ravioli Lasagna, Lemon Arugula Pasta and One Pot Sausage and Peppers Pasta enough.  They also happen to be some of the most requested dinners by our 9 year old daughter.  She definitely inherited her love of pasta from her mama!

How to Make String Cheese Manicotti

[1]  Cook manicotti according to package directions.  Meanwhile, add ground beef and onion to a large skillet.

TIP:  To insure the pasta won’t be mushy after the manicotti bakes, I prefer to under bake my manicotti by a minute or two.

[2]  Brown beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

[3]  Add marinara sauce, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to skillet.

TIP:  If you are using ground beef with a higher fat percentage, be sure to drain the beef of any excess grease prior to adding the marinara sauce.

[4]  Stir together to combine.

[5]  Spread half of meat sauce onto the bottom of a  9″ x 13″ baking dish.

[6]  Stuff each manicotti shell with a piece of string cheese and arrange in a single layer in baking dish.

[7]  Top manicotti with remaining meat sauce.

[8]  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

[9]  Garnish with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

If you’ve tried this String Cheese Manicotti or any other recipe on Melanie Makes, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.  I love hearing from you and respond to each and every comment! 

You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more delicious recipes.

Print Recipe

4 from 14 votes

String Cheese Manicotti

My String Cheese Manicotti is hands down the easiest way to fill manicotti! String cheese is stuffed into each pasta tube before being covered with a meaty marinara sauce – an absolute pasta and cheese lover’s delight!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 14 manicotti

Calories: 113kcal

Author: Melanie Bauer | Melanie Makes

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce box manicotti shells approximately 14 shells
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 26-ounce jar marinara sauce
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 14 pieces string cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese to garnish if desired

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook manicotti according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, add ground beef and onion to a large skillet.
• Brown beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
• Add marinara sauce, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to skillet.
• Stir together to combine.
• Spread half of meat sauce onto the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
• Stuff each manicotti shell with a piece of string cheese and arrange in a single layer in baking dish.
• Top manicotti with remaining meat sauce.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. 
• Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 107mg | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 0.7mg