Veal Manicotti with Fresh Ricotta

There’s no better ricotta cheese than the kind made fresh in your own kitchen. Creamy, rich-tasting, and light-textured, homemade ricotta is delicious and so easy to make. Simply bring the ingredients together, walk away, and you’ll have cheese in an hour.

Ricotta Cheese Ingredients

This manicotti recipe doesn’t call for many ingredients overall, so the taste of the dish depends on its few featured flavors: the fresh ricotta; lean, tender veal; and a rich, slow-simmered tomato sauce loaded with garlic. For extra creamy, cheesy taste, I topped the shells with shredded jarlsberg (Swiss) cheese. Provolone or fresh mozzarella would work well too.

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the Fresh Ricotta (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1 qrt whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1-1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the Manicotti

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes (from a 28-oz can)
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 12 manicotti shells
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground veal
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/4 cups shredded jarlsberg cheese

Preparation

For the Fresh Ricotta

1. Line a large sieve with a piece of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. (Be sure the piece of cheesecloth is large enough to drape over the bowl so that it won’t sink into the sieve when the liquid is poured in.)

Cheesecloth-Lined Sieve

1. Place the milk, cream, and salt in a heavy, medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep it from scorching.
2. Add the lemon juice, reduce the heat to low, and stir until curdles begin to form on top, 2-3 minutes.

Milk Mixture Beginning to Curdle

Curdled Milk Mixture

1. Carefully pour the mixture into the lined strainer and let it drain 1 hour.
2. Scrape the ricotta into a container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use (will keep for 2 days). Discard the liquid in the bowl.

Milk Mixture Beginning to Drain

Drained Ricotta Cheese

Fresh Ricotta Cheese

For the Manicotti

1. Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and shallot and cook, stirring frequently to prevent browning, until tender, about 3 minutes.

Cooked Garlic and Shallots

1. Add the crushed tomatoes and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a light simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook slowly 1 hour. Remove from the heat and cool 15 minutes.

Tomato Sauce Beginning to Cook

Cooked Tomato Sauce

1. Meanwhile, cook the manicotti shells in a large pot of boiling, salted water 7-8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the veal, onion, and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the veal is just cooked through and the onion is tender, 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool 15 minutes.
3. Place the veal mixture in a medium bowl. Add the ricotta cheese and 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce. Stir well to combine.

Veal Mixture Beginning to Cook

Veal and Ricotta Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Spread 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13 X 9 baking dish. Stuff each manicotti shell with about 3 tablespoons of the veal-ricotta mixture and place side by side in the dish.
3. Spread the remaining tomato sauce of top of the shells and scatter the jarlsberg cheese on top.
4. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. 

Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Manicotti Ready to Bake

Baked Manicotti