
Manicotti (the plural form of the Italian word ''
manicotto''), literally, "little sleeves" (< ''manica'' 'sleeve' + the diminutive ending ''-otto''), are an
Italian-American cuisine form of pasta. Manicotti are very large
pasta tubes, usually smooth, that are intended to be stuffed and baked.
The filling is generally
ricotta cheese mixed with cooked chopped spinach, and possibly
ground meat such as
veal, however strictly meat filling implies cannelloni and not manicotti. They are then topped with
tomato sauce..
Similar to the
Italian cannelloni, manicotti can be extruded in tube form, or rolled from sheets of dough, however where manicotti are pointed, cannelloni are smooth with flat ends.
Indeed, the authentic version of the manicotti recipe uses a crêpe instead of pasta tubes to contain the filling, which is similarly covered in sauce and baked.
References
{{Reflist
Types of pasta
Italian-American cuisine