Pumpkin Manicotti Recipe

Tender noodles are stuffed with a cheesy pumpkin filling, then topped with garlicky cream sauce and crispy sage before being baked until golden and bubbly.

Manicotti Gets a Fall Makeover with This Easy Recipe

I love my classic manicotti recipe, but when the leaves start to fall and the temperatures dip, I turn to this pumpkin version instead. 

And before you reach for the brown sugar, hear me out: canned pumpkin puree isn’t just for pies! Its earthy, subtly sweet flavor is downright delicious in savory dishes, especially when it’s mixed with creamy ricotta and stuffed into tender manicotti noodles. 

Topped with a silky cream sauce, plenty of melty cheese, and crispy sage, this pumpkin stuffed manicotti is comforting without being fussy, and easy enough to pull together for special weeknights or dinner parties.

Enjoy!

The Key Ingredients

The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.

• Manicotti noodles — These tubular noodles have ridged edges so the cream sauce can cling onto every bite.
• Pumpkin puree — Not pumpkin pie filling!
• Milk — Is infused with garlic and then thickened with a flour-based roux to make the cream sauce. Whole milk contains enough fat that the sauce will thicken nicely without having to use half and half or heavy cream.
• Cheese — There’s full-fat ricotta and shredded mozzarella in the filling and grated Parmesan on top. Don’t use anything low-fat here!
• Egg — Binds the pumpkin filling together. Don’t omit it or else it will be runny.
• Fresh sage — Gets crisped up in a little butter for flavor and crunch.

How to Make Pumpkin Manicotti

1. Boil the manicotti noodles 3 minutes less than the package says. You want your noodles to still be quite firm so they don’t break when filled with the pumpkin mixture. They’ll soften as they bake in the cream sauce, not to worry.

2. Meanwhile, crisp up the sage. Fresh sage leaves turn super crispy after just a minute or so in hot butter. Remove the sage from the pan but save the flavored butter for making the cream sauce.

3. Infuse the milk. For a garlicky sauce that’s not too pungent, simmer whole garlic cloves that have just been smashed with the flat side of a knife in milk for about 15 minutes.
4. Make the cream sauce. The melted sage-infused butter and some flour are whisked together to make a roux, then the garlicky milk is poured in and simmered for about 10 minutes to thicken.

5. Mix the pumpkin filling. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, ricotta and mozz, egg, salt, and nutmeg.

Heidi’s Tip: The easiest (and cleanest!) way to fill the manicotti noodles is to transfer the pumpkin filling to a zip-top bag, twist the top to make a cone, and then snip off a corner. This creates a DIY piping bag so you can pipe the filling straight into the noodles.

6. Assemble and bake. Spread a little cream sauce into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish to prevent sticking, then add the filled manicotti noodles in a single layer before topping with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle the crispy sage and some extra cheese over top, then bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes, covered with foil to prevent the noodles from drying out. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes to brown the cheese on top.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.

Pumpkin Manicotti Recipe

Tender noodles are stuffed with a cheesy pumpkin filling, then topped with a garlicky cream sauce and crispy sage before being baked until golden and bubbly.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pumpkin manicotti

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 590kcal

Ingredients 

½x1x2x3x

• 8 ounces manicotti noodles + 1 tablespoon kosher salt for seasoning the water
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cloves garlic , smashed
• 8 tablespoons butter , divided
• ¼ cup fresh sage leaves , thinly sliced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt , divided
• 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese , grated

Instructions

• Cook the manicotti noodles. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill a large, shallow pot or high-sided skillet with enough water to cover an 8 ounces manicotti noodles and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt to the water, then add the noodles and cook 3 minutes less than the package cooking directions. Transfer the noodles to a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil, lightly rolling the noodles so they don’t stick. Cook the noodles in batches if needed.

• Flavor the milk. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups milk to a boil, then lower to a simmer, and add 2 cloves garlic. Simmer for 15 minutes to let the garlic infuse the milk. Remove the garlic from the milk and discard.

• Cook the crispy sage. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium. Add ¼ cup fresh sage leaves and cook until crisp. Transfer the crisped sage to a plate to drain, then set aside, reserving the sage-infused butter.

• Make the creamy sauce. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in the pan with sage-butter over medium heat. Whisk in ¼ cup all-purpose flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the reserved garlic-infused milk mixture and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Continue whisking so the sauce does not stick or burn. Season with ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, then remove from heat to cool.

• Make the pumpkin filling and pipe the manicotti. In a large bowl, mix 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese, 1 cup pure pumpkin puree, 1 egg, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt until smooth. Stir in ½ cup mozzarella. Fill a gallon freezer bag with the pumpkin mixture, squeezing all of the filling into one corner of the bag. Twist the top of the bag to create a cone and cut off one corner of the bag. Pipe the pumpkin mixture into one side of the manicotti tube, flip, and fill the other side.

• Layer, bake, and serve. Spread ½ cup of the cream sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Place the filled manicotti tubes in the pan, repeating until you run out of the tubes and filling. Spoon the remaining white sauce on top of the tubes. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the crisped sage leaves on top of cheese, cover with foil, bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes uncovered.

Nutrition

Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 2228mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 7526IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 506mg | Iron: 2mg

Sides to Make This a Meal

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