String Cheese Manicotti
This String Cheese Manicotti is stuffed with string cheese for a super easy weeknight meal. Traditional manicotti is stuffed with ricotta cheese but you and your kids will love this one!
I may earn commissions for purchases made through links on this post.
STRING CHEESE MANICOTTI
I got in my car this morning to go to our team’s Bible study and my car wouldn’t start. Of course it happened today when my husband is gone and not yesterday when he had the day off.
It’s the little things you take for granted. That you can just get in your car and expect it to start. I remember being on a cross country flight and the people around me complaining that there wasn’t any wi-fii.
People, I get it. But in the big picture, we are getting into a metal airplane and FLYING across the country. That’s pretty amazing.
And now we’re mad that the magical wi-fii isn’t working so we can work thousands of miles up in the air on our tiny little computers that we can hold in one hand? Yep. First world problems people.
So first I had to find my jumper cables and then track down someone with a car to help me. I hate asking for help.
It literally humbles me so much that I can’t do everything on my own.
I had my friend use her tiny car to jump me but her battery wasn’t strong enough to start the whale of a car I have so I had to ask my neighbor. Double humble pie.
Even though I’ve jumped my car before I always forget what to do and feel like I’m going to blow up my car with my kids inside because I made a stupid mistake. It terrifies me every time.
Let’s talk about how easy this String Cheese Manicotti is. I make a zillion school lunches every week for my kids so I always have string cheese on hand.
Not that stuffing manicotti is that difficult but using string cheese makes it that much easier and my kids thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Have you ever wondered why string cheese is stringy? You’ll be happy to know that it’s not because of some crazy chemical. It actually has to do with how it’s processed.
It’s just mozzarella cheese that has been heated to 140 degrees where it becomes stretchy and the milk proteins line up in a row. That’s all.
Nothing toxic or weird. So don’t feel bad about this.
Here’s where I’m supposed to show me stuffing the pasta tubes with string cheese. Turns out those picture all looked way too X-rated (who knew) so we’ll skip those.
A simple meat sauce goes on bottom and top and then you top it with cheese. You can definitely add whatever you want to spice this up. Just make sure you use a good spaghetti sauce.
Add a sprinkle of fresh basil and some Parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread and a green salad with lots of croutons. My kids will only eat salad with croutons.
OTHER PASTA RECIPES
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
- Easy Manicotti
- One-Pot Bacon Broccoli Pasta
- Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta
- Chicken Spaghetti
- One-Pot Creamy Sausage and Tomato Tortellini
- The Best Baked Ziti
- One-Pat Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
- Lasagna Soup
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Pasta Carbonara
String Cheese Manicotti
Ingredients
- 1 package, (8 ounces) manicotti shells
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 jar, (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce
- 12 pieces string cheese
- 1½ cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- grated Parmesan cheese
- (optional) basil, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook manicotti according to package directions in salted water.
- While pasta is cooking, cook beef and onion over medium heat in a large skillet until meat is no longer pink; add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Drain meat. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Spread half of the meat sauce into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Drain manicotti. Stuff each shell with a piece of string cheese. You could even use 2 pieces of string cheese but we thought one was plenty once it melted. Arrange manicotti over meat sauce. Place over meat sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.
- Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and garnish with basil if desired.
Notes
I made this a few weeks ago and it was a hit in my small family of 3. I’m getting ready to make it again so I read the comments and I’m so glad to see it can be made ahead of time and also can be frozen! I saw some wrapping the cheese sticks with spinach or pepperoni. I think both would be delicious!
Thank you!
Very good. But I dressed up the sauce a little more. But definitely a keeper. Thank tou
Thank you!
Oh boy. The string cheese is a lot. We went with two per, due to all the comments on it, and I think it was just too much. And I LOVE cheese. Wasn’t sure there was such a thing as too much! Lol. Very tasty though. But very filling. Next time, I would only use one sting cheese per. In fact, I think ricotta may be better, just for this reason. Not usually a huge fan, but it may apply here. I added mushrooms and celery to my ground beef, and after adding the sauce I added canned diced tomatoes and olives. It was really good. But now I feel guilty. Lol. Wish I could post a pic though! Was beautiful!
And thank you so much for the recipe, btw. Always looking for quick and easy things to feed a family of five.
This turned out amazing. My husband especially raved about it. I followed the recipe completely EXCEPT no hamburger I chose hot Italian ground sausage. Loved it and simple. Thank you!
Yum!
Super easy and fast meal prep and Everyone loved it!
Thank you!
I made this for the first time tonight. As with almost every recipes, I have to half it because we are empty nesters and there is only two of us. Apparently nearly all recipes are for a family of four or more. So first, I noticed as I was making the recipe that I had purchased “light” mozzarella sticks, which didn’t melt too well, so, note to self, buy full fat next time. Also, halved the marinara sauce, which is 24 ounces. Next time I would definitely use the entire 24 ounces as we like it a little saucy. Otherwise, the taste was good, and would make it again with the alterations.
thank you!
Thank you for this recipe, my family enjoyed it very much.
thank you!
Probably already commented in here somewhere, but I don’t boil the manicotti first. I add about 3/4 water to my sauce and let them cook while it bakes. I bake mine at 375° covered with foil for 45 minutes then 15 minutes uncovered. Comes out perfectly cooked every time.
Thanks for the tip!
What brand of string cheese is recommended?
I’ve used polly o or sargento
Wrap the string cheese with a couple pieces of pepperoni to really take it up a notch. Love this recipe
great idea!
I made the manicotti with string cheese tonight. I cooked in 350 degree oven for 45minutes the string cheese never melted. What did I do wrong
That is strange. Was it a cheap brand maybe?
Need nutritional vaule, diabetes….
I will add them
I have this recipe in the oven cooking now. I can’t wait to try it. It smells so good. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have never tried stuffed manicottis.
Thank you!!
This dish was super easy to make. It was delicious! My kids loved it. My daughter said it was so good because it had the best cheese in the middle. She was shocked when I told her it was string cheese! When I make it next time, I’ll add more sauce. We like saucy dishes. Thanks for sharing a keeper!
Thank you!!
Absolutely fantastic.
Thank you!!
Great and so, so easy.
Thank you!!
This was so simple to make and was absolutely delicious! Thank you for posting this new favorite recipe.
Great! I actually used ground turkey to make it a little healthier.
So easy!
Thank you!!
Absolutely love this recipe as it is 😉. I just don’t understand the comments about “how do you stuff the manicotti without tearing it?” You take a full-size string cheese and out it into the pasta tube. No issues. Exactly what you wrote. Also, folks commenting all the differences they made. Who cares? Seriously! Either make it like the OP posted or move on. Thank you so much for sharing such an easy recipe. I will continue to make it as you wrote it 🥰.
Thank you!!
This was delicious, I used spicy Italian sausage instead of ground beef. I will make this again
Thank you!!
My daughter just came across this recipe and is so excited to try it!
Can we make this dish ahead of time on the weekend and just bake it one day during the week? We love to meal prep as much as possible on weekends. Thank you!
Yes absolutely!
I made this recipe tonight and we loved it !! I did use Italian Sausage instead of the hamburger . I will continue to make it this way from now on, so quick easy and delicious !! Thanks so much for sharing !
Thanks Cheryl!
Excellent
So glad to hear that!
I wrapped fresh spinach leaves around the cheese stick; it is an healthy anddition and helps fill up the shell! I also used ground turkey in my homemade pasta sauce of tomato sauce, green chili diced tomatoes, and 1/2 envelope of spaghetti sauce mix.
Thank you!
Can this be made ahead of time??
YEs!
Have you or anyone used GF manicotti? The recipe looks great
I made this for my family tonight and we all loved it. A definite keeper! The only thing I changed was to wrap 2 to 3 pepperoni slices around each string cheese before I inserted it into the pasta tube.
Great idea!
7/30/23
Morning, I just finished putting this in the oven! Smells yummy. Can’t wait to try it!
Hope you like it!
I am not a fan of ricotta so this recipe excited me. My husband loved it. I used 1 1/2 pieces of string cheese. Used a knife to cut it and made two long strips. I doubled the meat sauces as we love sauce. I also added a little Italian seasonings. Will definitely make it again. Thank you for all those like me that won’t eat ricotta but loves manicotti.
Ha perfect!
Seems tasty
Thanks for sharing
Made this tonight! It’s in the oven 😋 hoping my 6yr old will approve!
Does this freeze well? Thanks!
Yes freezes great!
Can’t wate to try this. It is cheaper. Then buying all that other stuff To make it thank you.
Thank you!
Making it for my caregiver’s Birthday!! I’m a Disabled Veteran in a wheelchair. Thanks for this recipe. I know she will love it!!
Thank you!
My 8.8 oz box of manicotti has 24 tubes, NOT 12. My 9″X 13″ pan holds all 24 tubes, placed horizontally or vertically.
I love the idea of using string cheese, because I’m piping bag “challenged”.
One more correction.
The foil should be removed before you add the mozzarella and parmesan, unless someone likes to eat the foil😏
I think depending on the brand the manicotti will vary in size. And thanks for the catch on the foil.
Spray the foil with cooking spray. The cheese won’t stick.
edit #3 manicotti pasta will be HOT. let them cool before handling. i am sure many are dorks like me and try to handle them immediately after draining. caution they are hot. ☺ thanks for the recipe!
Oh yes. The pasta will be hot!
This was really good and without having to try to stuff the manicotti, it was super easy.
I didn’t vary from the recipe on the first go round and it was great.
The next time, I will do the same, except I will wrap the string cheese with sandwich pepperoni or salami or maybe both. Oh, and all due respect to Preggo, I will use homemade sauce.
Thanks for this delicious, time saving idea!
Yes, homemade is best!
Trying the manicotti string cheese
Hey guys. What is the best way to stuff the manicotti shells. I stuff mine with the meat and then add the sauce on top and the cheese. But i have a hard time with stuffing the shells without breaking. Ive been using a long slender spoon.
Yes, you definitely have to careful and overstuffing will cause breakage.
I use an icing bag to pipe in the stuffing be it meat or cheese….no shell breakage for me using this method. Just use the largest plain circle tip. If you have trouble with mixture sticking, I recommend spraying inside of bag and tip with non-stick spray.
I just made this last night. It was an absolute pleaser dish with my husband and son (9 y/o). Very easy to make as well as tasty. Thank you! This recipe is a keeper and will be put in our menu rotation.
You’re welcome!
Think I’m going to try this and put half of a cooked sausage link in with the string cheese!!
Instead of adding more string cheese to the manicotti, I wrapped a large basil leaf and then a slice of deli smoked turkey around the string cheese. You could also use prosciutto, but all I had was turkey. This worked great! I also used ground turkey instead of ground beef for the sauce.
This is in the oven right now……made homemade Italian Garlic Cheesy Bread (in the machine) to go with it. House smells MAVALOUS DAHLING! Can’t wait to eat! I did use the no biol lasagna noodles (it’s what I had in the cabinet) softened with warm water so they were pliable. Instead of string cheese I cut a block of Mozzarella into string cheese size cubes — again, that is what I had on hand. Hubz will be the judge but I have a feeling he is going to OD on it LOL!!!! Thanks for a quick and easy recipe!
You’re welcome! Love the improvisations!
Amazing recipe! We used sausage instead of hamburger meat and it was a total win! I think the string cheese was just enough filling for me plus the meat sauce. Great!
Chrisann – love hearing that!
Genius! Going to try this in a slow cooker without precooking the pasta.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
This recipe is so easy and delicious! Back to make it again!!!!!
I love hearing this!
thank you for this quick and easy recipe for my picky eater he said it was delicious and as fast as I put it on the table for the rest of the family it was gone. I must say 2 pieces of string cheese is better than one all in all a great recipe
Yes. 2 is always a good idea.
This looks really easy but one could also use a block of mozzarella cut to size.
Also, I like to use fresh mozzarella for the stuffing. The texture and flavor are different and so great.
My aged Italian friend, Mr. Ruggiero, of many years ago said oregano for pizza and basil for pasta.
Just make sure that the fresh basil is not overcooked. It should only be in the sauce for less than 10 minutes or should just top the pasta once it is serve. Basil and many other leafy herbs lose the flavor of their volatile oils when overcooked.
Personally, I love fresh basil on top of my pizza! : )
Have you tried using extra water or sauce and not cooking the pasta beforehand? I made some lasagna like that and we loved it…Just curios if it would work….I love manicotti so cant wait to try this!
I’ve tried that with other dishes but not this one. I’ll have to try it!
This is a great idea! I’ve been using the America’s Test Kitchen recipe for ages. You use the lasagna noodles that you don’t have to precook, soak them in warm water for a couple of minutes so they are pliable, spread the feeling on and roll them up. So incredibly delicious and so much easier than attempting to stuff manicotti noodles. Love this idea though and definitely trying it soon!
Have you ever tried freezing this to make ahead? I just don’t know how well the string cheese would freeze?
String cheese freezes great from my experience.
Christy:
Can I make this using ground turkey instead of ground beef?
Of course! I always sub turkey in when I can.
Hi all…
Christy, this recipe is fantastic!! So easy, hubby approved and definitely a keeper. This is only the second time I’ve made manicotti in my life. The first time was in my very early 20’s with a recipe gotten from a pasta box when I was young and single in Seattle. Okay, back then, I’m like thinking, “I really don’t like tomato sauce, and that’s waaayyy too much sauce anyway, so I only used 1/2 that was called for in the recipe, and it’s also going to be too hard to stuff all that cheese mixture into soft noodles so I “think” they’ll get soft if I just stuff them raw. Yeah, you can see where this went ! LOL I had raccoons and stray cats forever on my back door apartment doorstep because I was a softy and fed any critter that would show up. NONE of them would eat it. I do mean NONE. I ended scraping up the sorry mess off the sidewalk myself 3 days later. So, 3 1/2+ decades later, I decided to try your version of manicotti, and boy, am I glad I did. I’m much older and wiser now, also, and know that 2 WHOLE jars of sauce and cooked noodles are VITAL to this turning out good. LOL I’m thinking about playing with this recipe a little and making a white seafood (crab, clams and shrimp) cream sauce, layering the sauce on the bottom, string cheese manicotti in the middle, more seafood white sauce on top with the mozz/fresh parm cheese thing on top. Thanks once again for another great recipe and a one last chance to finally get this one right!!
Janis,
I loved your story!!! And how good would a crab sauce be. Sounds amazing!
Love this idea- seems much easier than stuffing with a cheese filling that drips out every where! Also, I super empathize about the car battery. I had the same problem a while ago and my friend and I were afraid we would blow something up. We googled and survived😊
Haha. Isn’t it terrifying!
I’d also like to know what spaghetti sauce you use. I love spaghetti (and pretty much anything else like it) but my kids don’t. I keep hoping if I find the “right” sauce they too will love it.
I always use Prego Three Cheese and it does the trick.
What a great idea!
And now I really want to see the stuffing the shells with the cheese photos LOL!
Out of curiosity, what jar sauce brand do you usually by?
buy*
Prego Three Cheese. I love it.
What an awesome idea! My sons would go crazy for this.
oh yummy!!
Is there enough filling in a manicotti roll with just one string cheese? It seems
like it would not fill it enough. Not looking for more string cheese necessarily,
but just seems like it would be a big empty space with just that…?
Yes. There’s definitely room for 2 string cheese if that’s what you want. The shells are not full. It kind of turns into a lasagna type dish rather than a super stuffed manicotti.