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 ManicottiServings: 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)
Directions
Lightly coat the inside of a large slow cooker (5–6 quart) with nonstick spray or a thin film of oil to help prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
Spread a thin layer (about 1/2 cup) of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the slow cooker; this keeps the dry manicotti from sitting directly on the hot surface and helps them hydrate evenly.
In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese and 1 cup of the shredded Italian blend or mozzarella until well combined. You don’t need eggs or extra seasonings for this version—the sauce carries most of the flavor.
Spoon the ricotta mixture into a large zip-top bag and push it down into one corner. Seal the bag, then snip off a small piece of the tip from that corner to create a makeshift piping bag.
Hold one dry manicotti tube over the bowl (to catch any drips) and gently pipe the ricotta mixture into one end until it’s about halfway full. Turn the tube and fill from the other end until the center is packed but not bursting. Repeat with the remaining manicotti tubes, refilling the bag as needed.
Arrange the filled manicotti in a single snug layer in the slow cooker directly on top of the thin sauce layer. If your slow cooker is deep and you have more tubes than fit in one layer, you can angle a few on top, but avoid stacking more than two layers so they cook evenly.
Pour the remaining marinara sauce evenly over the stuffed manicotti, making sure all of the pasta is coated and no dry spots remain. If needed, gently wiggle the slow cooker or use a spoon to nudge sauce between the tubes so they’re well surrounded.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, or until the manicotti are very tender when pierced with a fork and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. The exact time will vary slightly depending on your slow cooker and the thickness of the pasta tubes.
Once the manicotti are tender, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese evenly over the top. Cover again and cook on LOW for 15–20 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and lightly bubbly.
Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the manicotti rest for about 10 minutes; this helps them set up slightly so they hold together when you lift them out. Serve directly from the slow cooker, scooping up plenty of the rich, crimson sauce and melted cheese with each portion.
Variations & Tips
You can keep this to four ingredients and still play a bit within those boundaries. Try a different jarred sauce—arrabbiata for a spicy kick, or a basil-heavy marinara for more herbal notes. Swap the Italian blend for smoked mozzarella or provolone if you like a deeper, almost wood-fired flavor. If you want extra richness while staying within the 4-ingredient concept, choose a ricotta that’s labeled whole-milk and “basket style”; it tends to be creamier and more flavorful. For a slightly lighter spin, use part-skim ricotta and a reduced-fat shredded cheese, but be aware the texture will be a bit less lush. If you have a smaller slow cooker, simply cook fewer manicotti tubes (and scale back the filling slightly) so they can sit in a single layer and hydrate properly. Food safety notes: Always keep the ricotta refrigerated until you’re ready to fill the manicotti, and avoid letting the filled tubes sit out at room temperature for long before they go into the slow cooker. Cook on the LOW setting, not WARM, to bring the dish safely through the temperature “danger zone” (40–140°F) in a reasonable time frame, and check that the center of the manicotti is hot and steaming before serving. Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate within 2 hours, and reheat only once to at least 165°F for best quality and safety.
